It's not just Juan and Jorge sneaking across the border to find a job making $2/hour picking lettuce. It's well-equipped, organized drug smugglers, "OTMs" (Other Than Mexicans), and G-d only knows who else. I'd be stunned to find out that radical Muslims haven't slipped across the Mexican border in the night packing AKs and explosives.
I've returned from the Minuteman patrol of the border.
Looking at that terrain really bothered me. There are discarded water bottles, makeshift tents from garbage bags, and discarded clothing all over the place. It looks like a troupe of absent-minded 3rd graders have been dropping garbage and walking in circles there for about 100 years.
Only, it's not 3rd graders. It's illegal aliens from Mexico and elsewhere.
...
The first watch I was on took place at night. I must have heard a hundred illegals in the desert around me, but they were obscured by the scattered mesquite trees, cholla and prickly pear cactus that provided cover for them. Visibility at night was perhaps 50 feet with the naked eye, and 100-200 yards with night optical systems, depending on quality. I had a Gen-I night vision monocular at my disposal which allowed me to spot my first two illegals at about 75 yards distant from me at about 8:00pm.
...
I had been using passive night vision with no infrared lamp for assistance. This guy was barely in range of my night equipment, so I hit him with my IR beam to help see him. He had night vision too, and saw my IR beam immediately. He froze for about 5 seconds. I got a good look at him via night vision. He had a quality backpack, with a large bail of something up high towards his shoulders. Very squared and boxy. He was bent over slightly to balance the weight.
When he saw my beam wasn't just scanning, but locked in on him, he bolted back southeast for cover. We followed him with a spotlight, the IR beam and night vision. He was lit up really good until he dived into some cover behind a bunch of cactus. We lost sight of him, but reported him to Border Patrol. He was sitting there behind cover only 100 yards away or so.
...
Completely sealing the border is impossible. But the first duty of any country is to maintain its integrity, which means having at least some control over the borders. Right now it's wide open. The Wild West is alive and well in 2006.
Unfortunately, neither of the two major American political parties wants to stem the tide. The Democrats want more lower income people who they can make state dependants for their own power base, while the Republicans (with the noticeable exception of Tom Tancredo) seem to want a steady stream of workers who they can employ on the cheap. This is a recipe for disaster.
Meanwhile, menial jobs that Americans would do if their wages weren't being undercut by illegals are squeezing lower income citizens. And on the other hand, American upper and middle classes are having their tax dollars eaten away by crimes committed by illegals and emergency room care being used for routine medical issues by illegals without health insurance.
Immigration when permitted in a controlled manner is a Good Thing. It may sound jingoistic but I realy do believe that the USA is the greatest country on Earth because of it was created by the best and brightest from all over the world, who immigrated here in search of freedom and the opportunity to make an honest living. That's threatened now by millions of illegals who come here in search of free health care, education, and the whole slew of "entitlements" (barf) which have been created with the rise of the American welfare state. This is not supportable in the long term. Yet the Federal Government fiddles while the foundations of the American Republic are burning beneath them.
I fear for the future of the country in which my children will grow up.
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