The Border Is Not Secure
BY Herschel Smith
12 years, 8 months ago
Glenn Reynolds links Mickey Kaus writing at The Daily Caller on the border fence. Mickey links and discusses observations by Mark Krikorian. Mark’s report is a mixed bag, and I recall reading it with some skepticism. Mark’s report, which Mickey views as “balanced,” discussed how the larger fences have been more effective (even if the smaller ones aren’t). The border situation, says Mark, is “better.” Sorry, but I’m not buying it. The pitiful parts of the fence are still pitiful, and the larger parts of the fence – well, you can judge for yourself.
Also, here is something to watch for in upcoming debates about the border situation. Napolitano says that things at the border have gotten far better. But the Border Patrol (and DHS) is under-reporting “got-aways.” Why would they do this? Well, soft metrics can make things look better than they really are.
Napolitano cited some specifics of the new index, which she wrote would include “traditional measures” but also other indicators.
“This index would take into account traditional measures such as apprehensions and contraband seizures, state and local crime statistics on border-related criminal activity, and overall crime index reporting,” the testimony states. “But to fully evaluate the condition of the border and the effectiveness of our efforts, this index would also incorporate indicators of the impact of illegal cross-border activity on the quality of life in the border region.”
“This may include calls from hospitals to report suspected illegal aliens, traffic accidents involving illegal aliens or narcotics smugglers, rates of vehicle theft and numbers of abandoned vehicles, impacts on property values, and other measures of economic activity and environmental impacts,” says Napolitano’s testimony.
I mostly agree with the normally clear-thinking Mark Krikorian. In this case, I continue to advocate U.S. Marine Corps arming orders and patrols along the Mexican border. Build large fences, but enforce border security by arms.
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