Regarding Alan D. Bersin and John Morton's "What We're Doing to Secure the Border,"
(op-ed, July 29): I have just returned from a visit to a friend's ranch
within a mile of the Mexican border at Nogales, Ariz. I suppose the
view is different from a cozy Washington, D.C. office. Here's the view
from the front lines: Every day my rancher friend and I rode out to
inspect and repair fence that had been destroyed by coyotes (the
two-legged kind) who lead anyone who will pay for passage, be they
illegal aliens, drug smugglers or terrorists. Every day my friend and
other ranchers clean up the trash of spent provisions, clothing, rotting
food, various containers, and human excrement deposited all along the
well-worn trails.
I know that there are
hardworking and dedicated people working in both the Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement services (ICE).
I have worked with many of them in the military and the intelligence
community. These people, charged with such an important responsibility,
deserve better than a self-serving dissertation about how much money is
being spent and how much contraband is being seized. And the individual
states inundated with refuse, crime and expense deserve better than,
"We're from the (federal) government and we know better."
Brig. Gen. Joseph L. Shaefer USAF (Ret.)
Lake Tahoe, Nev.
While the directors of
CBP and ICE may have doubled their personnel and expended unprecedented
amounts of effort, they haven't taken the simple steps that would
actually work. If they or the leaders of Congress were serious about
ending illegal immigration, they would make E-Verify mandatory for all
employers and they would finish building a real wall on the southern
border, as existing legislation requires them to do. But they haven't.
According to Amercianborderpatrol.com, there are only 200 miles of real
wall on the border—the rest is a joke. I do not believe that people will
walk through or drive over a 20-foot-high, one-inch-thick steel wall
backed up by Border Patrol agents ready to make arrests. Prove me wrong.
George S. Taylor
Los Altos, Calif.
It appears to me the
improvements cited by Messrs. Bersin and Morton are desirable but
insufficient in view of the challenges of Mexico's organized crime,
which must be stopped at the border.
Karl B. Keller
Camarillo, Calif.
Messrs. Bersin and Morton
echo the Pollyanna message of their boss, Homeland Security Sec. Janet
Napolitano, informing us of the great job that the Obama administration
is doing in protecting the U.S. southern border. While claiming
commitment to "enforcing the laws we have in the smartest and most
effective way possible." Is this the same John Morton who announced his
agency would not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to his
agency by Arizona authorities?
The authors credit the
president for committing 1,200 troops to the border, but fail to say he
did so only after John McCain and other senators demanded adding 6,000
troops to the border. The Arizona immigration enforcement law was not
passed because border enforcement is working.
Oliver Watson
Orange, Calif.
Will someone please
explain to me why employers are compelled by law to demand proof of
citizenship, while law enforcement officers (police) are forbidden by
law to request it.
Mel VanderBrug
Bloomfield Twp., Mich.
So Mr. Bersin and Mr.
Morton proudly state in the Journal that seizures of "illegal bulk cash,
illegal weapons and illegal drugs" are up at the border. Wow, I guess
that means that all those illegals sneaking across are not the simple
innocents seeking an honest life in America, as proponents of amnesty
claim.
Peter Wolf
Lake Forest, Calif.
President Ronald Reagan
did tremendous damage when he gave amnesty to millions of illegals. It
showed the world we have no backbone, that we are a nation of pandering
politicians and can be taken advantage of again and again. Messrs.
Bersin and Morton have written about the enormous effort and expense it
has been to try to reverse this trend. It should be part of their
mission not only to make it very disadvantageous for anyone to try to
enter our borders illegally, but for anyone who is illegal to remain
here.
Constance Sheppard
New York
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 