Rep. Tom Tancredo
Denverpost.com
Our current border control is an international joke, but the joke is on us!
The debate on immigration policy must begin with the recognition that we are, in fact, in a monumental crisis. We have passed from an era of a healthy stream of immigrants to an uncontrolled flood of illegal immigrants, and there are enormous ramifications of this reality.
Tragically, our policies have not recognized this paradigm shift. Moreover, this crisis is approaching the character of a constitutional crisis because of our failure to deal with serious issues while they are manageable.
The media have portrayed the face of illegal immigration as a sympathetic family with bright kids. The real picture of illegal immigration on our borders is nastier.
It is a picture of the two Mexican criminals who murdered Kris Eggle, a 28-year-old Arizona Park Ranger last month. They were fleeing Mexico after committing four drug-related murders south of the border. It is the picture of Muslims living in Canada who are financing terrorist activities all over the world with the proceeds from the methamphetamine components they smuggle into the U.S. It is the picture of "people-smugglers," called "coyotes," that charge desperate Mexicans upwards of $1,500 for transportation to the U.S. Often, the women are raped and the families robbed before they are shoved over the line into what too often becomes a death sentence in a desert inferno. It is the picture of corrupted Mexican and American officials. Segments of the Mexican Army provide protection for large drug shipments and have actually fired on U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Posted by Suzanne at October 6, 2002