Border Patrol Agent Speaks Out

Almost every politician and blogger has something to say about the security of the US Mexican Border.� But, what you are now going to hear comes directly from a senior US Border Patrol Agent.

This veteran Border Agent is on the front lines of the US Mexican Border conflict.�� He says it is the elected officials who are playing politics with the actual facts of the border crossings, and the "buck" stops at the individual Border Agent. At one points he said it seemed more important to have "sack lunches" and a "bus" ready to transport Mexicans back to the closest border crossing, than to actually try to stop them from coming into the US.� He said, if we did not get them on the bus in time we would have to house them overnight and we did not have the facilities.� He said many times we know the name of the crossers because they are back crossing the boarder the next day.� We just keep feeding them lunches and giving bus rides until they actually make it into the US.

When asking him about the hiring of five-thousand more Border Agents, he said we always hear that from the politicians but as a matter of fact there are very few new agents.� We are all waiting to see this large increase in the force on the border.� He said the six-thousand members of the National Guard will be welcomed as a force that has their "back."

Some Agents point out that when they actually arrested Illegal Immigrants at businesses in Southern California� about a year ago the local politicians protested so much, that the agents were stopped from their arrests.� Now they say they are glade to see new arrests by Homeland Security and they wish they could help more with information on illegal immigrant crossings.

Most Border Agents are trying to do their best, but they feel they are handcuffed by politicians.

Filed June 20, 2006