Budget
worries Border Patrol
~
The Washington
Times
Page 1 of 2
The
Washington
Times
www.washingtontimes.com
Budget worries Border Patrol
By
Jerry Seper
THE
WASHINGTON TIMES
PublishedMarch
12,
2004
TheBush administrationis"rollingout thewelcomemat for
terrorists
andillegal aliens"inseeking tolegalize millionsof
foreign
nationals illegallyin theUnited Statesand inproposing budget cuts "thinning the ranks" of America's border
force,
says the head of theBorder Patrol's 10,000-member union.
"Budget
and personnel cuts, coupled with the proposed amnesty for illegal aliens, make it
clear
that
this administrationis not at all
serious
about securingourhomelandorenforcing
our
immigration laws," T.J.
Bonner,
president of the National Border Patrol Council(NBPC), told a House subcommittee."Foreign terrorists continue to pose an extreme threat to the
safety
of our nation, andillegalimmigration remains out of control," said Mr. Bonner, a Border Patrol agent for 26
years.
"How
can
anyone contemplate cutting
the
funding
and
staffing
of our
first
line
of
defense?"
At
a budget hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, border security
and
claims, Mr. Bonner said that despite a $3.6 billion increase proposed for Homeland
Security
for
fiscal
2005, the Border Patrol
--
whose responsibilities include 6,000 miles ofinternationalborder
—
is
slated
for
cuts totaling more than
$18.3
million.
He
described as "unwise" a Bush plan to substitute $64 million for sensors andsurveillance technology and $10 million for unmanned aerial vehicles instead of
increasing
the
numberofagents"by atleast 1,000.""Whilesuch technology can be
useful
in pinpointing the location of those who
cross
ourborders illegally,itcannot catchasingle
violator,"
Mr.Bonner said, pointingout
that
theBorder Patrol is the only agency within Homeland Security that has been targeted for
staff
cuts.
"Until control of the borders is achieved, it is irresponsible to propose cutting the Border
Patrol's
budgetand
staffing.
Aslongas ourborders remain porous, theyarejustasopentoterroristsand other criminals as they are to illegal aliens," he said.Chairman John N.
Hostettler,
Indiana Republican, said that while President Bush has
proposed
additional
funding
in 2005 for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), whichoversees
the
Border Patrol, there
are no
resources
for
additional
agents
—
a
decision,
he
said,
that
ended"atrendofseveral years."Mr. Hostettler said the subcommittee is trying to determine whether the president's
fiscal
request adequately responds to what he called the "main immigration challenges
facing
the
United
States today"
-
reducing
the
illegal alien population, protecting
the
United States
from
criminal aliensandterrorists,andensuring that immigration
benefit
applicationsare
handled
correctlyand in atimely manner.Michael W. Cutler,
former
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) senior agent,
told
the subcommittee that reducing the illegal alien population would require significant
funding
increases,
but
that
failing
to do so
would "ultimately cost
our
country
far
more."
"The
abysmal reputation that our nation has gained over the past several decades in terms
of
our ability and determination to enforce the immigration laws deters few, if any, alienshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20040311-113623-8745r 3/17/2004
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