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“...[I]t
is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all
mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in
defending our own.” —Benjamin Franklin
Have you
heard about Operation Trans Guard? If you live in Tombstone or
travel to Tucson on the I-10 it would be difficult to miss
them. Tuesday morning agents were even walking the streets in
Tombstone. Why were they walking streets in Tombstone? We
don’t have a problem with illegals running up and down
Allen Street, do we?
Thanks to Congressman Jim Kolbe (who
will hopefully be removed from office next time around) who
tells us that Border Patrol checkpoints violate our
constitutional and civil rights so he will not support them or
fund them. Consider the following from contributor Bill Park,
he sent the following letter to the editor of the Arizona Star
after the story about the first weeks results of Operation
Trans Guard.
“As has been noted,
“Phoenix right now is the busiest hub . . .” It has
escalated over the past five years. Take a close look at border
patrol operations along the border and you will see that east
and west of the Tucson Sector, normal operations include
highway traffic checkpoints which are highly successful at
intercepting north bound smuggling of both people and drugs.
But in the Tucson Sector they are neither allowed nor funded.
Why, you ask? Congressman Jim Kolbe
chairs the appropriations committee. “The INS’ lack
of an adequate response has forced me to resort to
micromanaging the Border Patrol in the Tucson Sector
legislatively.” He goes on, “The FY2002 (and for
the prior three years) Justice Appropriations Act continues to
prohibit a permanent Border Patrol checkpoint in the Tucson
Sector.” The bill language says: “The INS is
reminded that it must not operate a checkpoint at the same
location for seven consecutive days during a 14 day period in
the Tucson Sector.” However, it requires “that the
San Clemente and Temecula checkpoints be fully operational on a
continuous 24-hour basis.”
Once past the border in Mr.
Kolbe’s district it is clear sailing to the
“sanctuary” Valley of the Sun. It becomes easy to
get lost in hundreds, perhaps thousands of drop houses. The
open arms approach of providing a city-sponsored hiring center
and hands off order to the police offer a fertile territory for
coyotes and drug dealers to lay up and pursue their terror
tactics throughout Valley neighborhoods. The motto of
“To Protect and Serve” has been reduced to
asking the Mexican Consul to notify next of kin. When this
occurs at your doorstep one can’t hide behind
“it’s a federal problem.”
Bob Park, Founder, Article IV Section 4 Foundation, Prescott, AZ; 928-778-5811.
From the Tucson Citizen report from
Saturday, November 15, 2003. ‘More
than 1,500 suspected illegal immigrants have been caught in the
first week of a new Border Patrol operation at two airports and
along Interstate 10.’
Among them were 550 smugglers, and
$750,000 worth of their cash and assets were seized, according
to Andy Adame, spokesman for the Border Patrol’s Tucson
sector. If the early success of Operation Trans Guard is any
indication, increased vigilance may become routine, he said.
Now imagine that! Border Patrol and
the Feds finally decide to take their responsibilities
seriously. The scary thing is, this activity has been going on
strong for at least the five years, if not ten. Multiply the
numbers in the first week of efforts by 365 times five or ten
and you understand that the problem has been and continues to
be out of control. We had better demand they continue the
operation at any cost.
“What this means is that the
gap between the people who enter the country illegally and the
people who are apprehended is closing,” Adame said. Since
Nov. 7, the operation has also netted 150 vehicles used for
smuggling and $478,000 worth of narcotics. Agents have five
checkpoints on highways leading to I-10, and mobile monitoring
patrols are on the interstate. Agents also are monitoring
traffic at Phoenix Sky Harbor and Las Vegas McCarran
international airports. Adame said security at the border has
not been shortchanged by the operation. Instead, agents’
schedules have been adjusted to accommodate increased
monitoring.
There’s only one question
remaining in my mind. Why are we jeopardizing the lives of
United States citizens by patrolling highways some 40 to 50
miles from the border? All that needs to be done is an edict
from the President committing light infantry security troops to
the border in Arizona and there would be less need for getting
into car chases, shootouts and would relieve Border Patrol from
having to chase law breaking cowards into the brush along our
roadways.
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