Thread: What We're Doing to Secure the Border

JULY 29, 2010

What We're Doing to Secure the Border

Last year, illegal crossings in the Southwest were down 23%, to a fraction of their all-time high.

By ALAN D. BERSIN AND JOHN MORTON

Yesterday, after months of heated rhetoric and debate about Arizona's controversial new immigration law, federal Judge Susan Bolton blocked most of SB 1070 from taking effect. The move served as an important affirmation of the federal government's responsibility in enforcing our nation's immigration laws. But regardless of what happened with this case, this administration will continue to enforce the law, just as we have been doing for the past 18 months: with unprecedented resources and a clear commitment to serious, smart and effective enforcement that has yielded important results.

We are career prosecutors who lead the two main border and immigration enforcement agencies in the United States—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We know the paramount importance of enforcing the law and we understand the federal government's responsibilities. And what we have seen on the border, at workplaces, and in communities across America in the past 18 months represents the most serious approach to enforcement we have witnessed in our careers.

At the border we have concentrated unprecedented amounts of manpower, infrastructure and technology. Today, the Border Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its history—nearly doubling in personnel since 2004 to more than 20,000 today. ICE has a quarter of all its personnel in the Southwest border region, also the most ever. There is more fencing and other infrastructure than ever before. And more technology, improving the ability to detect illegal movements at all times of day and night.

We have engaged in high levels of cooperation with Mexico to crack down on smuggling. And we have provided more funding than ever before to local law enforcement in border communities to deal with border-related crime.

As a result, the numbers are clearly moving in the right direction: Last year, illegal crossings along the Southwest border were down 23%, to a fraction of their all-time high. Seizures of contraband rose significantly across the board in 2009—illegal bulk cash, illegal weapons and illegal drugs. By all measurable standards, crime in U.S. border towns has remained flat for most of the last decade.

At the same time, this administration knows that more can be done. That is why the president authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 National Guard troops to support federal law enforcement on the border. He has also asked Congress for $600 million in supplemental funding, which reflects the administration's understanding that the assets we have must be a permanent part of a long-term, systematic effort to deny, disrupt and defeat the activities of transnational criminal organizations that smuggle illicit drugs, people, weapons and bulk cash across our border with Mexico.

Throughout the country, we have made enforcement of immigration laws smarter and more effective. We have made cracking down on drug cartels and deporting convicted criminal aliens who threaten public safety a priority. And we have achieved results.

Programs like Secure Communities, which identifies illegal immigrants already in state and local jails who have committed crimes have been expanded. Last year, we deported a record number of felons who were in the country illegally.

ICE investigates and prosecutes employers who have a history of knowingly employing an illegal work force. Instead of focusing on high-profile worksite enforcement actions, or "raids," this administration has already audited more companies to check their compliance with federal law than the last administration did during its entire time in office. To help employers comply with the law, the administration continues to improve and expand the E-Verify program, a web-based system that allows employers to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.

In all, more is being done—and more results are being achieved—to secure the border and enforce the law than ever before. This is important work that we will continue—throughout the nation and in Arizona—as we remain committed to actively working with members of Congress from both parties to make necessary reforms to our immigration laws.

Meanwhile, this administration remains committed to enforcing the laws we have in the smartest and most effective way possible. The progress we've already made shows why it's so critical to continue pushing forward.

Mr. Bersin is the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Morton is director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 30462.html

Get back to us when illegal crossing are less than 10,000 a year, until then you have failed miserably.

You are doing everything in your power to divert resources to unnecessary areas of the U S borders, namely the Canadian border.
You are doing everything in your power to slow or stop immigration enforcement.
You know very well that the huge brunt of our illegal immigration problem is our southern border.

We, The People of the United States of America, have lost any and all remaining trust/faith in YOU, The Federal Government of the United States of America, to do your job protecting our borders and our citizens.
We know of the Progressive's, Communist's, and the Mexican's desire to flood our country with massive numbers of legal and illegal migrants in an effort to change our political and social struture into something very undesirable to the citizens of the U S. You are the enemy of freedom for Americans and sovereignty of these United States.

You can take your pitiful words and puny efforts, aimed at trying to comfort us, and stick them where the sun refuses to shine.

This is PROPAGANDA!!!!!

They were so put up to do this and it's full of Obama talking points.

It's like the White House sent it over and said, here boys, sign off on this.

The following is all Bush administration actions:

...most serious approach to enforcement we have witnessed in our careers.

At the border we have concentrated unprecedented amounts of manpower, infrastructure and technology. Today, the Border Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its history—nearly doubling in personnel since 2004 to more than 20,000 today... There is more fencing and other infrastructure than ever before. And more technology, improving the ability to detect illegal movements at all times of day and night.

ICE has a quarter of all its personnel in the Southwest border region, also the most ever.

As for this statement, possibly true but they have been pulled from other places and put on south bound drug smuggling operations, which nothing for illegal immigration or for securing our border.

As for the $600 million... Make me laugh. Obama can quit telling me "the check's in the mail" because he never intends on spending or getting that money passed through congress. He's been talking about this for months now. This is a pathetic bait and switch for what Obama calls border security so he can justify his amnesty.

I actually believe the $600 million is staging money for amnesty because you know our internal resources will be taxed to the max processing millions of illegal aliens. He's talking it up as emergency border security but when the time comes, he will have it in the departments budgets and ready to allocate and funnel it off to amnesty and the needs of illegal aliens.

Dixie

Sometimes I have no words, not that I can put here anyway. I don't believe hardly a word that comes out of this administration esp re illegal immigration. They should be helping Arizona instead of fighting them. Actually Arizona was trying to help enforce federal laws but no, can't do that!

Meanwhile, this administration remains committed to enforcing the laws we have in the smartest and most effective way possible. The progress we've already made shows why it's so critical to continue pushing forward.

BOO HISS !

Yeah the smartest and most effective way you can lie to the US Citizens while behind their backs and Congress you give Amnesty to MILLIONS of IA's.

We will not be lied to and there will be serious reprecussions for you and your treachery.