Thread: Violence Said to Increase on Mexican Border -NYTimes

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February 8, 2007
Violence Said to Increase on Mexican Border
By JOHN HOLUSHA
Efforts to stop smuggling and illegal immigration have led to increased violence along the southern border of the United States as criminal organizations seek to continue their operations, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Department of Homeland Security, said today.

Testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Mr. Chertoff said the department planned to spend $1 billion for technology and fencing to secure borders and $778 million to hire 3,000 additional border guards to further tighten entry into the U.S.

He said the increase in violence was a natural consequence of these efforts, as smugglers of both people and drugs try to defend their businesses against the increased enforcement effort.

Representative John Abney Culberson of Texas talked of a “dangerous and lawless” border area. He said it was like the old-time Indian country “except the Indians have machine guns and satellite phones.”

He said some smuggling organizations had established observation posts on hill tops within the United States to spot law enforcement activities, including watching National Guard units deployed along the border. Some police units were reluctant to turn their lights on at night because of the observers and armed smugglers.

Mr. Chertoff said the increased efforts to stop illegal immigration had resulted in a “decrease in the number of people seeking to cross the border.”

But he said “this is not a declaration of victory” and said smugglers would increase their efforts to penetrate the southern border.

He also told the subcommittee that by the end of the year virtually all the containers coming into American ports would be screened for the presence of radioactive material that could be used in dirty bombs. He said rail shipments would also be screened for the presence of radioactive materials “starting with New York city.”

But the stepped-up effort to curb illegal immigration has caused Homeland Security officials to “throw away the Constitution” when it come to immigrant’s rights, said Representative Jose E. Serrano, Democrat of New York. And deportations break up families, he said, by separating immigrant parents from their American-born citizen children.

Increased security has been used by officials as “an opportunity to move against immigrants,” he said.



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But the stepped-up effort to curb illegal immigration has caused Homeland Security officials to “throw away the Constitution” when it come to immigrant’s rights, said Representative Jose E. Serrano, Democrat of New York. And deportations break up families, he said, by separating immigrant parents from their American-born citizen children.

Same old "blah" "blah" "blah"

Increased security has been used by officials as “an opportunity to move against immigrants,” he said

What crap, homeland security would have never been arresting anyone if the citizens hadn't become outraged, and I'm sure if they really wanted to they could be arresting alot more. also they would not be setting anyone free like Latino's with no record,so cosider yourselves lucky!! some of us would't be so nice.

And what..........this is some kind of a surprise?

Dufuses, every last one of them