THE BORDER REPORT

We’re hitting a quagmire on the president’s plans for the border and the troops ain’t even arrived yet.

As usual when it comes to this border, there’s much flexing, tough-talkin’, and boot-stomping and very little in the way of substance. Logistics and a sound man-with-a-plan are sorely absent from any discussion while cheap media allows itself to be fed happy news.

It’s painful sometimes, like watching re-runs of the politburo’s Tass news service.

Who exactly has got the manuscript for a border plan because right now, we’re hearing a lot about more agents, more fences and more drones, but nothing about reality.
One National Guard troops supply post, New Mexico, is running into roadblocks on its own and may be delayed because nobody can figure out what they’re supposed to do nor where they’re supposed to live while they’re down here.

The U.S. Border Patrol has tripled in size since 2001, standing at a whopping 15,000 agents but oversight for the agents remains at a minimum with only four Office of Inspector General agents working in the Tucson sector while the Patrol’s idea of fighting corruption is to engage in mandatory shift-swaps – a move that the sector’s union is fighting.

Uncomfortable questions were raised this morning when it was determined the agency is running out of money to pay overtime for its search and rescue teams and its dog handlers. Are there overtime caps for the Border Patrol’s public information office?

That’s a little mean-spirited but a fair question considering how much airtime is being given to the Border Patrol’s build-up while half of the U.S. illegal immigrant population came breezing in through the ports of entry – not the desert between the ports.
That’s according to a Modes of Illegal Entry report from the Pew Hispanic Center that says 45 percent of illegal immigrants simply overstayed their visas or ignored the restrictions of their border crossing cards.

The rhetoric is flying fast with Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar and President Bush clamoring for support and outlying “ideas” that give little specifics beyond stating that there’s going to be more agents, more fences and more helicopters.

Couple these vague notions with a shot of the president on a dune buggy or a sharp-looking BORSTAR agent cutting sign and that’s the news baby.