Border Patrol opposes amnesty

Joseph Dassaro speaks out against Bush's amnesty plan:

President Bush continues to maintain a contradictory and perilous position regarding illegal immigration, claiming his plan does not amount to amnesty. Standard American language usage contravenes the president's specious explanation: His plan clearly overlooks the offense of illegal aliens who entered this country in violation of law and would not seek prosecution ---- a full amnesty within contextual and explicit meaning. The current position of the administration on illegal immigration is demonstrative of a flawed public and enforcement policy that undermines national security by encouraging future mass illegal immigration. Additionally, the intention of the president sends contradictory signals to agencies tasked with securing our borders.

In a recent article (The Washington Times, Jan. 12) in which he attempted to justify his position on illegal immigration, the president stated the current immigration situation is a "bureaucratic nightmare" and the Border Patrol is "overstressed" due to "people (illegal immigrants) streaming across (the border)." While in general agreement with the president, agents place blame squarely on flawed public policies.

Following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the significant and systematic de-emphasis on immigration enforcement surpassed that of legacy agencies. The newly consolidated departments halted highly successful interior enforcement operations and in some instances prohibited agents from making arrests (Associated Press, Aug. 16, 2003).

Further evidence of the administration's contradictory position on illegal immigration is statements made by political appointees charged with protecting the public. In September 2004, in an effort to build support for the administration's amnesty proposal, Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security undersecretary, publicly stated it is "not realistic" to arrest or deport illegal aliens already in the country (The Washington Times, Sept. 10, 2004). More recently, budget problems within the Department of Homeland Security further call into question the priorities of the administration as agents are forced to release illegal aliens and curtail operations due to ongoing financial constraints (NBC News, July 26, 2004). These circumstances all contribute to a "bureaucratic nightmare" and "overstressed" Border Patrol.

The position of the administration on illegal immigration has had a profound and negative effect not only on law enforcement operations, but also agent morale. The impact on agent morale was measured in a survey conducted by independent Hart Research Associates during the summer of 2004. The survey found a majority of agents were demoralized and were not getting the full support needed to protect the country (Government Executive Magazine, Aug. 23, 2004), clearly indicating a conflict between the view of professional field agents and the administration in regard to national domestic security. The administration's current immigration plans will exacerbate, not alleviate, that problem.

Hopefully Bush will see the foolishness of his plan before it is too late.