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The Obama administration is naming a former Justice Department official, Alan Bersin, to tackle drug-related violence and illegal immigration problems plaguing the U.S. border with Mexico.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is expected to make the announcement during a visit to El Paso, Texas. Outsiders have dubbed the post a “border czar.”
“Right now our goals are two-fold. No. 1 is to prevent people at the border from entering this country illegally and No. 2 is to play a part in assisting the Mexican government in its crackdown on the drug cartels,” the source said. “That will be the primary function of this new position.”
The announcement is scheduled to take place one day before President Barack Obama is to embark on a trip to Mexico, where issues of drug violence south of the U.S. border are expected to be at the top of the agenda…
Bersin was criticized by some immigrant groups for his role in Operation Gatekeeper, a federal government operation to crack down on illegal immigration along the westernmost portion of the U.S.-Mexico border. The program was a success at reducing uncontrolled immigration through that area, but immigrants and human smugglers shifted to the east. Some blame the program for increases in immigrant deaths in the desert and on highways.
People are responsible for their own self-destructive acts. It has nothing to do with law enforcement.
MikeN,
Thanks for asking.
If, indeed, you are correct that the Federal government knows of every single illegal immigrant (I kind of doubt it) then all we have to do is aggressively enforce the laws with huge fines both on the company and on the individual doing the hiring.
(Mark my words, this would fix he illegal immigration far better than a gabatrazillion-dollar fence that will be a perpetual tax-burden anchor around our necks and not even work very well.)
But, it’s not that simple because if we end illegal immigration, we are going to be shocked at how many American business models are dependent on cheap illegal immigrant labor: agriculture, construction, hospitality, fast food, etc. etc.
That’s the hardest part of immigration reform — how do we end illegal immigration without putting half our businesses into bankruptcy?
But, you gatrabazillion-dollar fence guys must answer the same question — specially since most of you are against amnesty and guest worker programs.
I’d be open to some reasonable form for both those options as a way to transition to a well-paid, citizen-labor economy again.
How about you?
Santa Maria,
Sealing the border is a fool’s errand.
(A very very expensive fool’s errand!)
But even if you accomplish the impossible and block all Mexicans from coming, the cheap-labor void will be filled with Chinese, Pakistanis, Haitians, Indians, etc etc.
(If thousands of miles of water doesn’t keep Chinese and Pakisanis out, what makes you think a a 15 foot fence will keep Mexicans out?)
No, the answer is to shut-down jobs that bring them here. Fines for illegal employers. Visa enforcement, etc.
And a helluva a lot cheaper than a 2000 mile boondogle government fence project.
We need to do something about American money and guns arming the drug cartels. I hope everybody can at least agree with that if not about what to do.
Green cards need to be easy enough to get that being illegals is going to be much less attractive and the parents of U.S. citizens need to be naturalized ASAP.
I don’t want to limit green cards to Mexico only. People in Central, South America, Africa as well as other locations are fine.
I’d look six times at Islam because right now the faith is spreading violence and is not tolerant of others.
#43 – We don’t need 3rd world illiterate peasants at this time. We had a need for that long ago. Not so much any more…
deowll,
One reason to have a guest worker program is to diversify the immigrant worker population.
When you have it so dominated by one culture, it causes unnecessary social stress.
If Mexicans and other workers from Latin American were equally mixed with other immigrant populations I think the cultural conflict would lesson considerably.
But, under the conservative “we hate immigrants but demand cheap labor” policies which creates an illegal immigration problem, immigration is going to be dominated by the closest poor country.
>> Paddy-O said,
>> We don’t need 3rd world illiterate peasants at this time.
If we don’t need them, why do so many industries hire them — why do so many American companies hire them.
By the way, who cleaned your room in the last budget hotel you stayed at?
Who picked that last $0.25 apple you ate?
Who picked up your garbage at 4am this morning?
Who roofed your house? Who plastered your drywall? Who landscaped your yard? (if not YOURS, then most of your friends.)
If you HONESTLY don’t think our economy is dependent on (or at least addicted to) cheap illegal labor, then you live in bubble.
# 46 Greg Allen said, “If we don’t need them, why do so many industries hire them — why do so many American companies hire them.”
Simple. We don’t need drugs but idiots take them anyway…
Ah_Yea,
I didn’t read your links but informed people know that Hispanics are a natural ally to conservatives — especially cultural and religious conservatives.
I think that’s your point, right?
The main reason the Republicans have not been able to garner the hispanic vote is because the racist wing of the GOP can’t help themselves from bashing the hell out of brown people.
# 46 Greg Allen said, “Who picked that last $0.25 apple you ate?”
No one. Apples are shaken off trees by mechanical “pickers”. Welcome to the 21st century…
Paddy,
I checked your link about Ike and illegal immigration.
Very interesting but it’s hard to imagine those techniques working today.
However, there are some things to learn — I think, even today, if the government started getting serious abuot shutting down illegal employers, there would be a mass voluntary exodus of illegal workers.
Apparently, we’re seeing that dynamic even today — lots of Mexicans are going home because their jobs are drying up.
(Tiny URL was down but you can Google it. There were lots of articles about how Mexicans are going home right now because the jobs are drying up.)
I tell you — drying up the jobs will work FAR better and FAR cheaper than a gazillbaszllatrillion dollar fence and expensive mass deportations.
Dry up the jobs = mass exodus.
Paddy-O,
Sheesh! OK, then, who ran the machine? Who drove the tractor? Who sorted out the culls? Who oiled the machines in the packing shed?
You’re getting silly in an attempt to avoid the obvious truth of what I’m saying.
Greg,
PS: Are you sure you’re right about shaking the apples from the trees? Doesn’t that bruise them?
I know they shake nut trees but I’ve never seen them shake a fruit tree.
(… not that this changes my point — cheap American food is dependent on cheap illegal labor. It has been for decades, even with automation.)
#50 Greg
“drying up the jobs will work FAR better and FAR cheaper”
You really hit the nail on the head with that one.
# 51 Greg Allen said, “Sheesh! OK, then, who ran the machine? Who drove the tractor? Who sorted out the culls? Who oiled the machines in the packing shed?”
A fraction of the # of people we needed 50 years ago, when we had a small, legal, guest worker program…
Did you read the link I posted regarding Ike & the plan he used that worked?
“From 1995-1998, Mr. Bersin served as the Attorney General’s Southwest Border Representative, coordinating law enforcement on the border between the U.S. and Mexico”
During this time frame, Femicide – tha mass murder of women- began on the border of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. His appointment as a coordinator of law enforcement on the border was unfruitful, he didnt solve anything then, and he wont solve anything now.
#34 You just discovered hot water. Sadly, there are many here yet to make the discovery.
#38 The term Czar is used worldwide for that purpose nowadays. Thank the soviet revolution for allowing us to use that term.
#48 Make that “legally immigrating Hispanics are most likely conservatives”. The illegals are the ones that like to do nothing and get a lot in return.
#42
Greg Allen
Raise a “US Border Army”. Man the borders and be ready to use weapons without fear of lawyers or anyone.
Fix automated machine guns. Hookup to motion sensors.
Hookup the same guns to online shooter games. Then sell subscriptions to people who want to “man” the border.
Expensive yes. Our country is safe? Hell yeah!
#55 The illegals are the ones that like to do nothing and get a lot in return.
Hello? Earth to pedro! The lazy Mexicans are back in their villages laying around. The ones who have the cojones to try to make it across the border to get work here, they’re the go-getters, the hard workers. I lived in Texas for a while, and it was always the illegals out doing the landscaping and roofing in the blistering sun, and all the other shit jobs like harvesting lettuce and other produce, backbreaking work. They do the work for less than minimum wage, and you get cheap produce and all the other benefits. They can’t collect welfare, they’re illegals, ya moron. Now, the Puerto Ricans… that’s another story…
#56 Wow, bloodthirsty wingnuts salivating to shoot unarmed illegals coming to do your shitwork. I’m impressed. The only danger here is the danger of you paying more for your lettuce if you stop José from getting to the fields and they have to hire Americans at a higher wage to pick it.
Friggin’ chickenhawk wingnuts.
#58 Phydeau
Shitjobs or not, they are still “illegal”.
I have no problem in some foreigner working here. Do it legally. Abolish minimum wages and entitlement programs/ reduce social services to lower costs to hire such workers.
The role and goal stated is sound.
“(1) Prevent people at the border from entering this country illegally and (2)play a part in assisting the Mexican government in its crackdown on the drug cartels,”
Why do the Repugs have their panties in a wad again? I’m sure there’s a gay elephant somewhere lurking near you. Get on it. The border issue is Obama’s to solve.