Wednesday, March 30, 2005

A Drop in the Bucket

From today's Washington Times; it seems the government is stepping up efforts to reduce illegal immigration along our southern border. In the coming months, more than 500 additional border patrol agents will begin working in southeastern Arizona, where thousands of illegal immigrants enter the U.S. each year.

I wish I could muster some enthusiasm for this initiative, but the addition of 500 agents is just a drop in the bucket. Border Patrol agents do their best, but they've never received the resources--or political support--needed to do their job. We may see a decrease in border crossings in Arizona, but the illegals (and their "coyotes") will simply find another entry point.

With more than a million illegal immigrants entering the U.S. each year, we need to federalize our southern border. Sadly, no politician--Democrat or Republican--has the backbone to support such a plan. That will come only after terrorists launch a major attack on U.S. soil, after entering our country from Mexico. And, given the present lax security along the border, such an attack is not a matter of "if" but "when."

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