Border Union Rep. Speaks

• A union representative for Border Patrol agents blasts the federal government for undermining those who protect our borders.

On March 14, two Mexican military vehicles carrying troops working as part of an anti-drug task force crossed the border into Santa Teresa, N.M., 20 miles west of El Paso, where they were intercepted by Border Patrol agents on horseback (SPOTLIGHT, April 10).

Two shots were fired from one of the vehicles as it sped back into Mexico. The second vehicle continued to pursue the agents a mile into U.S. territory where a very intense standoff took place. Even tually local police units and other Border Patrol back-up units arrived and took the nine Mexican soldiers into custody.

Following the capture of the rogue Mexican soldiers, Chief Louis Barker not only voluntarily returned the Mexican soldiers to Mexico, he also returned the automatic weapons and vehicles, used in the attempted murder of Border Patrol agents.

This is not the first time this has happened. According to data from the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter, (R- Calif.), the Mexican army strayed into U.S. territory 63 times between 1995 and 1999. But this is the first time they have opened fire since the days of Pancho Villa.

This kind of craven cowardice and capitulation will only lead to more incursions and attempts on the lives of Border Patrol agents, further adding to the current trend of Mexican army assistance to known drug smugglers (everyone knows it is happening). Let us also remember that when Border Patrol agents stray into Mexico, they are held and often beaten, prior to release. I have been in a Mexican jail myself and believe me they don't bring in Geraldo Rivera to see if your rights were upheld.

Border Patrol officials confirmed that the Juarez cartel, one of Mexico's biggest drug gangs, had placed a $200,000 bounty on U.S. law enforcement officers. The cartel is based in Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso.

The fault in this matter does not entirely rest with Barker as he is a victim of the politically correct line emanating from the Immigration and Naturali zation Service (INS) central office in Washington, which is more concerned with acquiring cheap labor for the free traders than guarding the sovereignty of a nation. It reminds me of a Latin passage, Cuid Custodist Ipsos Custodes -- who shall guard the guard ians? The Ro mans.

In 23 years with the Border Patrol, I have seen the INS voluntarily relinquish its authority to enter on farmland, severely curtail our ability to raid construction sites and now they are talking about avoiding neighborhoods and scaling back operations during the census. Are we moving into a situation where the average Border Patrol agent stands on the international boundary with a white flag and hands out lunch sacks? How can a government that cannot control its own borders be called a government?

The varying temporary protection status list whereby aliens from various countries are given temporary relief here continues to grow every time a country suffers a revolution or a natural weather calamity. It would be much easier to produce a list of which aliens can be arrested. Such a list would be much shorter.

The number of forms required to process an alien is an ever growing monster. They are increasing exponentially to the point I fear that soon there will not be a tree left on the planet.

Increasing the paperwork on an alien has long been a tactic of INS planners. I personally think the INS feels that the larger the burden of paperwork placed on individual agents, the fewer aliens they will apprehend. They are after all a government bureaucracy and the path to expansion by INS is more illegal aliens in the country, not fewer. A trend that is breeding a more hostile public reaction, if the people I have been encountering are valid indicators. Under the Carter administration, in Yuma, Ariz., we were told there was no gas for the vehicles for about two weeks.

At present, the Mexican consul must be contacted to interview every alien we arrest in Orlando and Miami sector stations to verify that his arrest was handled in a satisfactory manner. The bulletin board contains envelopes for mailing to INS central office to aid this process. There are plans to allow the consul access to our computers.

I have seen agents given days off duty for a simple slip of speech. Can you imagine what would happen to agents found a mile inside Mexico firing on Mexican agents? They would be fired and facing prison time. Hordes of FBI and State Department people would be on the scene along with Geraldo Rivera.

The planners of the Constitution did not intend the phrase, "We the people of the United States," to be defined as anyone who had just illegally crept through a hole in a barbed wire fence. I am not an attorney, but this should be painfully clear to anyone with a room temperature IQ. An infant born just inside the border is considered an American citizen.

By conservative estimates, the current U.S. population will double in 50 years and soon thereafter reach the size of current day China, where survival sometimes dictates infanticide and the ability to survive on pig intestine soup. This is all happening when polls indicate Americans do not want any more immigration. I don't think the average American is willing to make this sacrifice in order to get a few chickens plucked. Sadly the average American seems to have little voice in his future other than when he or she is willing to be disarmed.

Another tragic consequence of replacing Americans by desperate aliens who will work for less money is the staggering amount of documented disease they bring with them -- such as strains of drug-resistant TB, HIV, Dengue fever, Rubella and Bu bonic plague. This seems to be of little concern to Washington and the free traders. I guess the feeling is that if they all die, they can always bring in somebody who works cheaper.

The United States does not exist primarily for the benefit of multinational corporations who have no allegiance to any country nor the rule of law and consider themselves endowed by divine right to deny people a living wage. If they do not wish to conduct their affairs in a civilized manner, let them move to other countries, but let them pay a tariff to dump their products into the United States. If the people responsible for the policies I have just enumerated call them selves Americans, then I am ashamed to call myself one.

SOME HELP

We do have many responsible political leaders who do not espouse the politics of nation breaking and the sort of territorial aggrandizement in reverse, whereby current politicians actually encourage the encroachment of hostile foreign hordes to usurp the living space of the locals. They include: Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), Charles Cana dy (R-Fla.), Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), Mark Foley (R-Fla.), Bob Barr (R-Ga.), Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), Thomas Delay (R-Tex.) and Ron Paul (R-Tex.), plus Pat Bu chanan, the Reform Party presidential candidate.

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) has sponsored an amendment which will deny citizenship to the children of illegal aliens born on American soil.

Many Americans do not understand that someone can walk through a hole in the fence along the international boundary, have a child and declare it an American citizen. This bill is about 200 years overdue.

I urge you to separate the Border Pa trol from the Immigration and Natur al ization Service and place it under leaders who at least have a concept of the problems on America's borders and the responsibilities of a federal law enforcement agency. The Border Patrol has a serious retention problem.

We have asked for an investigation of why agents are being fired upon and their attackers released. It has been two months and we have heard absolutely nothing concerning this matter. We are going to do our best not to let this be swept under the carpet. I am prepared to take this matter up with anyone who will listen until we get some logical answers.

There are many remedies available. Mexico can put its rogue soldiers in prison, we can stop supplying their entire country with electricity at no charge, or we can put up an impenetrable wall on the border, a solution I wholeheartedly favor.

These attempts to bend over backwards to appease a rogue narco state are making the United States appear to be the laughing stock of the world.