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May 28, 2008

Exclusive: Immigration and Border Security: The Real ‘Inconvenient Truths’

Michael Cutler

The New York Times, which has long advocated for open borders and the legalization of millions of illegal aliens, recently published two articles that its editors should take the time to read. (Yes, that New York Times, the newspaper that, in my opinion, should change its slogan from "All the news that's fit to print," to "You'll have a fit over what we print!")

The connection between these articles may not be immediately apparent, but the common denominator will soon become clear.

The first article deals with the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Mexico. Violence is spreading throughout the nation that shares more than two thousand miles of border with our country and corruption, long a problem in Mexican government, is increasing. What contributes to these growing problems is increased drug trafficking activities, and sadly, the corruption is bought and paid for by the proceeds of the narcotics being peddled on the streets of American cities from coast to coast.

When the Mexican government officials claim that the drug problem is the result of the demand for drugs by Americans, they are not entirely wrong - but they are not entirely correct either. The problem is that with our open borders and easy access for Mexican trucks, the prohibition of narcotics becomes all but impossible. Every time someone buys narcotics, a portion of the money ultimately winds up in the hands of the cartels and is used to buy weapons, vehicles - and politicians and police officers.

Consider the damage this does to both Americans and to the people of Mexico. Since Felipé Calderón became president, Mexico has suffered more fatalities than did the United States during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001:

All told, 4,125 people have been killed in drug violence since Mr. Calderón took office.

This is the side of "free trade" that the Bush Administration and those who advocate for free trade refuse to talk about. This is also the culture of corruption and violence that is headed our way if our nation refuses to take immediate and decisive action.

Yet with the current emphasis on the "rights" of illegal aliens, no candidate for the presidency is willing to talk about the need to address the critical issues relating to border security. Nor do they talk about the crime and hopelessness that plague our nation's inner cities and other places where our nation's poor are neglected. There is no talk today about getting those on welfare into mainstream economic America. Illegal aliens are taking jobs on the cheap that Americans would most certainly do if they could support themselves on the fair wage that would prevail if illegal aliens were not in the picture. Rather than provide economic opportunities to our own citizens and resident aliens who need to find purpose in their lives and opportunities to improve their situations, unscrupulous employers hire illegal aliens who are literally disposable workers.

I have raided enough sweat shops in my career as an INS special agent and have seen "up close and in person" the outrageous treatment of the illegal aliens who are vulnerable to exploitation, working in deplorable conditions and living in abject squalor.

Meanwhile, American kids, often within minority communities, see no hope for their futures. All too often the example of economic "success" that is to be found in poverty-stricken inner cities are the drug traffickers and those who assist them and other criminals. And, all too often, these criminals serve as "role models."

That our own children are growing up amid poverty and violence and with a sense of hopelessness is utterly unacceptable. Charity begins at home, and it is time for our nation's leaders to look inward, to the inner cities and elsewhere to create opportunities to lift up American youth and provide them with the education and opportunities that they so desperately need.

For decades our country has engaged in a series of so-called wars. President after president has talked about the "War on Poverty," the "War on Drugs," the "War on Crime" and so on. These wars grind on and each year while countless numbers of our citizens and others fall victim to drugs and crime. Victories are elusive and all too often, illusory. If those decades-old wars were successful, they would have been won by now!

Violent gangs in Mexico control much of the border that is supposed to separate the United States from Mexico. Violence against our citizens and against the Border Patrol is escalating and yet, when valiant Border Patrol Agents such as Ignacio Ramos and José Compean defend our borders against drug traffickers, it is the agents who find themselves in prison.

Each year many lives are lost to the narcotics trade: for example, a number of my friends and colleagues have died while conducting narcotics investigations. Additionally, some will die from drug overdoses while others will die because of their trafficking activities. Still more will die when they find themselves to be caught in the middle of a shootout. Those who do not lose their lives are so horrifically impacted by becoming addicted to drugs that they lose any opportunity for being productive members of society, suffering a sort of "living death." This also has a huge impact on their children and others who are close to them.

As the drug cartels gain more money and hence, more power in Mexico, they operate more freely within Mexico and with greater arrogance. Their successes in moving huge quantities of narcotics into the United States does more harm to our citizens and provides ever increasing economic resources to these drug gangs. Their control of the border means they are also involved in large-scale smuggling of illegal aliens into the U.S. Not all of these aliens seek to do the menial jobs that the condescending politicians like to talk about. Who are they? They are members of the drug cartels who set up shop in an ever increasing number of communities across our nation. When I was assigned to the Unified Intelligence Division of the DEA in New York from 1988 until 1991 as the INS representative, I conducted a study to determine who DEA was arresting. In New York I was startled to find that some 60% of the defendants who were arrested were identified as being "foreign born." Nationwide the statistic was 30%. The DEA tracked that statistic for a number of years, and for at least five of those years, the percentages remained quite constant. I suspect that they would not be much different today.

There have also been numerous reports of aliens from so-called "special interest countries" entering our country illegally. The countries that are considered "special interest" are those that are associated with terrorism, something I have written about recently.

It is also extremely important to understand that not unlike the drug cartels, terrorist organizations also require money to carry out their objectives. Drug trafficking is one of the easiest and most lucrative means of raising money, but it is not the only way. Terrorist organizations also raise funds by committing arson, identity theft and various forms of mail fraud such as coupon fraud.

This brings us to the second New York Times article. If the federal government is serious about protecting our nation against terrorism, then it is right to go after a variety of criminal activities that may well ultimately fund terrorism. When local law enforcement, often acting at the behest of local politicians, complains about drugs and gangs, it is incredible that they are unwilling to address the immigration component of these criminal activities. It has been estimated that there are now more gang members in the United States than there are sworn police officers. Many of these gang members are, in fact, illegal aliens.

Gangs such as MS-13 are predominantly comprised of aliens from El Salvador, where that pernicious gang originated, but also may include members from Guatemala, Mexico and other Central American countries. The violence associated with these gangs is legendary and unlike anything many of our communities have experienced before. With the ever increasing influx of violent alien gang members, the challenges to our law enforcement authorities will be extreme.

Yet there are politicians who refuse to deal with reality and seek to wage a public relations campaign. Consider the link to a recent Associated Press article that relates to a statement made by Governor Richardson of New Mexico earlier this month entitled, "N.M. Gov. Richardson calls US-Mexico Border more secure":

"In my opinion, there has been a dramatic improvement in the last two months."

[...]

Richardson said he would ask U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza to reevaluate a travel alert ... that warned citizens of rising violence in northern Mexico but stopped short of suggesting that Americans avoid traveling in the region.

Incredibly, just five days later, Governor Richardson issued a press release entitled "Governor Bill Richardson's Office Issues Statement on Renewed Border
Violence in Mexico":

Governor Richardson is deeply concerned by the violence in Mexico and has directed all New Mexico public safety officials to be vigilant to ensure the problems don't spread into the United States.

I may have been born on a Wednesday, but unfortunately for Governor Richardson and the other duplicitous politicians, I was not born last Wednesday.

Clearly the issues of illegal immigration and border security are the real inconvenient truths.

We the People must make it clear that we will not tolerate elected officials who are willing to play a game of "Russian Roulette" with the security of our nation or the lives of our citizens. This is the job that all Americans can and must do, because the security of our nation's borders and the creation of a system of immigration that possesses real integrity is not a conservative issue or liberal issue, but an American issue.

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