[url]http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020627-95543416.htm[/url]

Top agent says U.S. must care for illegals
By Steve Miller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


    HOUSTON — The chief U.S. Border Patrol agent said yesterday that the government has a responsibility to protect Mexican citizens who are illegally crossing into the United States.
     Speaking at a forum at the 73rd annual convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), David V. Aguilar said that the recent deaths of illegal migrants in Arizona presented a "challenge" to both the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol, which is an agency of the INS.
    "There are 17 water stations placed out there by well-meaning individuals and humanitarian organizations," Mr. Aguilar said, referring to water tanks that have been placed by pro-immigration and religious groups in remote areas of the vast desert south of Tucson, which is home to the Coronado National Forest.
    "That is all there is for that entire range. The temperature there today is 140 degrees. It is impossible to survive."
    Mr. Aguilar is the chief patrol agent for 281 miles of the Arizona-Mexico border. The region is now the most heavily traveled by illegal Mexican citizens coming into the United States to gain employment and sometimes education and social welfare benefits and medical care.
    "We have had 350 rescues since March," Mr. Aguilar said. "We now have [emergency rescue] crews in each sector who are trained to deploy in these areas. Our mission is to control the border and with it the obligation to protect lives."
    (continued)

(continued from above)

Twenty-one persons have died since June 6 trying to cross through and around the Coronado National Forest, a 1.8 million-acre range in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.
    The Mexican government says 1,980 persons have perished since 1995 crossing that region; U.S. figures show that 1,370 have died in that time period.
    Mr. Aguilar said his agents have rescued both illegal immigrants — primarily brought into the United States by what are referred to in Mexico as "coyotes," or smugglers — and drug traffickers.
    "We are adamant that a person makes a conscious decision to come in, but not to go through the most treacherous area of the United States," he said. "And the vast majority of the people we do rescue have been brought in by these smugglers."
    Some immigration reform advocates insisted yesterday that the primary mission of the Border Patrol is not to provide humanitarian assistance to illegal aliens but to police the U.S.-Mexico border. Some, however, said common humanitarian concerns would compel helping anyone in deadly peril, such as dying of thirst.
    The top priority of the Border Patrol should be the prevention of illegal crossings, said Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports legal immigration. "That has to take precedence," Mr. Camarota said. "But if they do come across people who are in trouble, well, we are a great and caring nation, and we should be helping. However, the illegal alien is responsible for his own actions."
     According to INS guidelines, the Border Patrol — as the mobile uniformed branch of the INS — has as its mission the detection and prevention of smuggling and the illegal entry of aliens into the United States.
    Patrol agents perform their duties along and in the vicinity of the 8,000 miles of United States boundaries. Agents patrol by means of automobile, boat, aircraft, horseback, snowmobile, motorcycle, bicycle and on foot.
    The guidelines say the agents are responsible for "safely and humanely detaining, transporting, processing and supervising illegal aliens awaiting removal or other disposition of their cases."
    Public service announcements in Mexico have warned residents of the dangers of the Coronado crossing area.
    The broadcast spots are narrated by Mexican celebrities and scroll a list of the deceased, warning that there is no water in the region for those seeking to enter the United States illegally.
    A member of Mexican President Vicente Fox's Cabinet said his country was trying to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the United States and has cut the number of those attempting to emigrate by 40 percent.
    (continued again)

But Felipe de Jesus Coronado, who is part of an immigrant rescue task force, said, "If we cannot stop them, then what we want to do is get them to cross in areas that are not so remote and dangerous."
    He said the Mexican government is building observation towers that will allow the Mexican military, which has posts on the border, to observe illegal immigrants crossing into the United States.
    Mr. Fox's government has added two federal prosecutors to try cases against smugglers, said Eduardo Ibarrola Nicolin, a Mexican ambassador to the United States based in Houston. Mr. Fox will address the group, which claims more than a hundred thousand members, by satellite Friday evening.
    Other speakers include Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican, and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat.
    Alberto Gonzales, White House counsel and former Texas secretary of state, is scheduled to speak today, along with Mel Martinez, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.



HOW DISGUSTING.

How the HELL did this guy's obvios conflict of interest and preoccupation with the well being of law breakers not become obvious when he was seeking this position.

It is probably what got him the job.

Talk about job security!
"Yeah, had we not helped them there would have been much less for us to do around here, but now that we've given them a push in the wrong direction it's turning into a challange to keep up." [puke]

This causes me to wonder who Mr. Aguilar thinks he is working for.  The American tax payer or Vicente Fox...

We [b]can[/b] stop them. We just lack the will to do so.

Jarhead, perhaps you don't speak the language of "human rights trump your silly, racist immigration policy."

Fortunately, I do:

"SINCE we can't stop them, they must be permitted to cross at will through San Diego, because it's simply too hard on them to force them to cross the desert."

Perhaps we could provide air-conditioned buses for them, with catered meals along the way.

Now you're thinking.

I myself favor covered, air conditioned moving sidewalks to get them through quickly and safely, and since they don't have to bother with the checkpoints [b]I[/b]am forced to go through, it only makes sense.  

I'll bet those BIG BLUE water barrels make great targets. [img]www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/nogood.gif[/img]

[b]The temperature there today is 140 degrees. It is impossible to survive.[/b]

Sounds like a hell of a deterent.

I don't think we should provide watering stations but if they find someone out there we should treat them humanly before shipping them home.

So I take it it is no longer customary to yell "Stop or I'll shoot" once then, if no response, fire; when they are patroling the border???

I remember in hi(gh)-school, when talking to recruters and everyone about "jobs" the main reason to choose the Border Patrol (over Army, Navy, CG, etc. . .) was that it gave you the single highest chance you would be able to shoot someone. In fact, one recruter had 27 kills! -He said they really didn't stop as often as you would think, as they'd rather take thire chances with your aim than crawl back to Mexico.

I wasn't particuarly looking to shoot anyone, but it sounded like a good gig to get into. . . .

-Justin

Edited to Add: I do think that if they make it onto U.S. soil, we shoudl treat them well and give them nessacerry 1st add as we deport them back to Mexico. Or for fun, we could deport everyone someware else than Mexico. Like china:-P. I'd have suggested England, but that would be cruel and inhumane.

Aren't "wetbacks" supposed to come with their own water supply?  Kinda like camels, right?

I am not for arbitrarily shooting people (that is monstrous), but neither am I for making it easy to commit a crime, i.e. illegal immigration.

-legrue

How about we get rid of the watering stations and increase the roving border patrol sharpshooters, but anyone who makes it to a city alive gets to stay?
[BD]

And they kill people too!  Not that I mind one bit that the illegals were killed, but the Explorer and Toyota were just driving on their merry way when all of a sudden...!@#$$%^&*  Oh ya, after they get out of the hospital, charge them all with manslaughter.  They knowingly participated in an illegal act which caused death or mayhem, not to mention severely  overloading the van which crashed.  After they serve hard time, banish them back to where they came.

[b]Six killed, 31 injured, in California crash; van was carrying illegal immigrants [/b]
Tue Jun 25, 8:49 PM ET
By MICHELLE MORGANTE, Associated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO - A van carrying 27 illegal immigrants smashed head-on into two other vehicles as it went the wrong way on an interstate with its headlights off, apparently in an attempt by the driver to avoid an immigration checkpoint. Six people were killed and 31 injured.

 
Loaded with immigrants from Mexico and Brazil, the Dodge van sideswiped two cars and then collided with a Ford Explorer about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of the Mexican border Monday night, the California Highway patrol said.

The Explorer flew over a guardrail and down an embankment, killing its driver. The van then crashed head-on with a Toyota van.

The driver of the Dodge van and four passengers were killed, the Highway Patrol said. Their identities were not known since most people in the van did not have identification, Officer Steve Lopez said.

Thirty-one people, most suffering minor injuries, were taken to hospitals. One woman remained in serious condition Tuesday.

The remote area, about 45 miles east of San Diego, is commonly used by smugglers driving vehicles crammed with illegal immigrants.

The Border Patrol maintains a checkpoint on the highway, Interstate 8, about three miles (4.8 kilometers) from the accident site.

They really have watering stations?  I propose a H20 + CN mix.  Better for thirsty illegals so they don't have to make that treacherous journey.

LOL.  For a minute there, I thought one or both of you guy's flipped out.  Just make Kalifornia officially part of Mexico so they don't have to migrate.

Well, now that the US Govt supports people commiting criminal acts, I want help from them to rob a bank. [rolleyes]

The few that they catch are returned humanely...   Most are not caught...  I work the Arizona border areas and see them coming in every day...

If a Border Patrol agent was to arrest/detain an illegal alien at said watering stations that they offically sanctioned.   Would this be considered baiting?

Mine fields and snipers sounds good to me.  Sure, post signs in spanish but back up our words.  There was a time, not so long ago that the warnings of the US were to be feared.  We are pussies now.  What's more, everyone else in the world is becoming aware of that.  We are creating our own next war.... Here.  Planerench out.

Sloper 10 said: "This causes me to wonder who Mr. Aguilar thinks he is working for. The American tax payer or Vicente Fox..."

Well, being as the American tax-payer is propping up Senor Fox's corrupt government by supporting his surplus population,  I don't see the difference anymore.

Am I the only one who sees a parralell between what is happening with the Mexicans and the Romans with the Visigoths? It seems to be almost exactly the same thing going on.

No sir, you are not the only one.

Nations secure and defend their borders, and empires do not. All empires eventually fall from peaceful invasion by the underclass and from the profligacy of their own ruling class.

Hmph, you know, about 4 or 5 years ago I found a dead body lain up under a tree while quail hunting with my dad outside of the Cochise area.  Cochise County deputies told me and my dad that he was an illegal alien that died from thirst.  (Maybe they think we didn't see the large caliber hole in his head and notice he had blond hair, but just entertain the idea that he was an illegal.)  Personally, I hate illegals more than Hitler hated Jews.  It wouldn't bother me one bit if I were to stumble across a few more illegal corpses.

P.S.- I entertained the idea of using those big blue watering towers for targets but it gives gun owners bad press (like shooting street signs) and the jugs are close to establishments.  

And about their traffic accidents.  We had two catastrophic accidents off of I-19 in just a week.  In a separate incident, 41 illegals were crammed into a Bronco II that blew a tire and crashed while being chased by Border Patrol agents.  Could you picture that?  41!!!!!

Now I have to chime in here. As a legal immigrant from England, this kind of treatment towards illegals just pisses me off.

Now granted, if they're trying to get through and they're dying then they must be helped. But all the other things they get away with, after I've waited all this time and paid far too much damn money to become a permanent resident, and they're getting it handed to them on a plate. It makes me want to chew on my desk.

I always said that bullets would be much cheaper than giving them all that fancy medical treatment.

Now here is a thinker! Thats the best idea I've heard in a long time.[bounce]

25% of the prison population in kalifornia is composed of illegal aliens. Serves that stupid welfare state right.

While I certainly don't condone illegal immigration, I do have a respect for someone who roots up & moves to an entirely different country/culture to make a better life.

Keep in mind that, outside of CA of course, illegals don't have access to most, if any, govt services. Do they?

Here in TN we've experienced a huge influx of "Mexicans". I would imagine that 99% of them are here illegally. The govt refuses to do anything about INS, i.e. making it bigger/better.

However, almost all of the "Mexicans" I deal with at work or elsewhere are good folks.