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October 18, 2005
Border Moonbattery Has Had It
Posted by Dave Blount at October 18, 2005 8:52 PM
The surest indication yet that the insanity at the border is passing its peak comes on a tip from Byron: The Houston Chronicle reports that even confirmed moonbat Sheila Jackson Lee wants to crack down on the ongoing invasion:
Her bill, called the Rapid Response Border Protection Act, calls on the government to train enough new recruits so that 1,000 Border Patrol agents could be mobilized to respond during an emergency on a particular stretch of the border. She also proposes equipping the agents with better helicopters, boats, trucks, computers, radios and night-vision goggles.
The addition of 100,000 detention beds would allow the government to hold and then deport more illegal immigrants. Currently, some illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico are released because the government doesn't have anywhere to detain them.
Jackson Lee isn't the first Democrat to try outflanking President Bush on the right on this issue: Arizona's and New Mexico's Democratic governors have declared a state of emergency. But Jackson Lee is almost certainly the farthest out there on the left-wing lunatic fringe of anyone who has acknowledged the very serious problem of our undefended border.
Of course, having been an advocate of illegal aliens, she wants to have it both ways:
Jackson Lee said the proposal does not represent a departure from her long-standing position as an advocate for immigrants, including illegal immigrants. Experts estimate there are 11 million illegal immigrants now in the country, and Jackson Lee said it would be impractical for the government to deport all of them. She has proposed offering them "earned access to legalization," which would allow them to become U.S. citizens over time.
Opponents of illegal immigration don't like Jackson Lee's proposal to legalize those now in the country, which they consider an amnesty.
But the important thing is that the political winds are blowing hard enough to move even Jackson Lee's considerable mass. Clearly politicians will avoid the border situation at their peril.
There are promising signs that President Bush realizes this. At a signing ceremony today for a law authorizing DHS spending, he made all the right noises, asserting that "To defend this country we've got to enforce our borders." The bill includes money for border security, including cameras, sensors, and detention centers. More encouraging words from the President:
We've got to stop people from coming here in the first place. Secondly, we must improve our ability to find and apprehend illegal immigrants who've made it across the border. If somebody is here illegally, we've got to do everything we can to find them. And thirdly, we've got to work to ensure that those who are caught are returned to their home countries as soon as possible.
How soon the border will actually be closed is anyone's guess, but momentum is gathering for serious reform.
