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U.S. Secretary Of Commerce Visits Port Of Entry

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez toured one of El Paso's port-of-entries Tuesday, and he brought a message from President George W. Bush regarding immigration.

"You could have several drug seizures going on, some alien smuggling going on, and we might have to shut down a lane," said David Longoria, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection port director. He was explaining to Gutierrez what goes on daily at the Bridge of the Americas.

Tuesday, Gutierrez got a taste of what it's like at an international port of entry. It's the first stop in his tour across Texas. The secretary is elaborating on President's Bush's comprehensive immigration reform plan, which prioritizes securing the border.

"We're not going to resort to extremes. We're not going to resort to mass deportation of 12 million people, nor are we going to give them amnesty," said Gutierrez.

But, the president's plan does call for a temporary workers program for those undocumented workers already in the country. In the event that an undocumented immigrant were to refuse temporary work for fear of deportation, Gutierrez said finding work will eventually become difficult.

"We need to have a temporary workers permit that include these biometrics cards that are tamper-proof. That enables employers to enforce the law, and enables us to hold employers accountable," said Gutierrez. Holding employers accountable alleviates pressure on the border, he said.

Biometrics cards would hold valuable information such as the person's fingerprints and identification. This technology is already being used to issue travel permits for foreigners traveling to the interior.

If a more secure border means a longer wait time it could pose another problem.

"Things like wait times are very important to the (El Paso) community. If the wait times increase too much, people stop crossing, and it starts having a negative impact on the economy," said Longoria.