August 14, 2007
While saying he respected the concerns of border communities, particularly those in Texas that oppose a border wall, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Defense Michael Chertoff said Tuesday that security concerns must be dealt with quickly to "regain the trust of the public."
Speaking at UTEP's Border Security Conference, Chertoff said that he was disappointed that comprehensive immigration reform did not pass. In the meantime, he said, drugs, human trafficking and terrorism remain as security issues along the border.
"There is no single magic bullet that will get us security along the border. … Piling on security by putting a lot of things on the border isn't going to give us security," he said. "We don't want to destroy the border in order to save it."
Chertoff said chasing people who are in the U.S. illegally, but simply want to work -- pick crops, clean hotel rooms or wait tables, he said -- "distracts us from chasing the people who want to do us harm."
But pending a change to allow people to stay in the country and work legally, he said, "I have a responsibility to enforce our laws."
The conference at UTEP was the fourth, and is part of the university's growing profile in the fields of border security and intelligence. While high-level speakers -- such as Chertoff, Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, and Admiral James Stavridis, commander of the U.S. Southern Command -- filled the lecture halls, several defense-related vendors set up in the hallways outside, and numerous high-level government and corporate officials mingled during the events and at associated dinners and receptions.
Chertoff was the keynote speaker on the morning of the second and last day of the conference. The panels on the first and second day included the topics of integrating technology, strengthening intelligence through diversity, working with our neighbors and drug trafficking.
Chertoff's speech used the word "balance" several times; although mentioning sensitivity to trade and the concerns of border communities about heavy border enforcement, Chertoff did not back away from a strong emphasis on what has been called "security first."
The fact that millions of undocumented immigrants live in the United States, he said, reflects a lack of policy that was "allowed to build up over 30 years, with the complicity of the public." Chertoff said he "emphatically rejects" any approach that does not involve intense enforcement, saying "we will regain the trust of the people."
He noted several items to that end:
-- Increasing the number of Border Patrol agents from 9,000 when President Bush came into office to 18,000 now.
-- 370 miles of fencing -- Chertoff did not use the word wall -- to be built by the end of 2008. While sensitive to communities that might oppose the idea, he said, it's ultimately the "operators," the Border Patrol sector chiefs, whose recommendations he'll heed.
-- The Secure Border Initiative of two years ago. [link]
Chertoff said there is more detention and quicker extradition, which is decreasing apprehensions.
On the other hand, he acknowledged, the increased enforcement is having consequences.
"Some of these consequences will be unhappy for the U.S. economy," Chertoff said.
Following the speech, Chertoff took a few questions. Among those:
-- Should local law enforcement be involved in immigration matters? Chertoff said the federal government has offered training and funding but "we don't coerce." He also said he would discourage attempts to enforce immigration laws without the proper training.
-- How to speed up waits of up to two and a half hours on the international bridges: Chertoff said "there is an expectation of more officers" to replace many who left. He also cited construction at the Paso del Norte bridge as a temporary element of delay that eventually will lead to faster cross times when the project is done.
-- On the definition of border security: "It does not mean a hermetically sealed border," Chertoff said. He paraphrased a Border Patrol definition, which is a high degree of probability that officials know who and what is crossing into the country.
-- Must the border be secure before immigration reforms? Chertoff said it is difficult to secure the border "with brute force," and that ultimately a solution to immigration issues must be comprehensive, "we can make a downpayment on securing the border, then come back to the American people. … At some point I'm going to say we can get the job done quicker with all the tools."
-- Asked to comment on the border wall and border shootings: Chertoff said while he wants to respect locals, he wants to do what is best for the country, and repeated he would let Border Patrol chiefs guide him on the issue of fencing. In regards to shootings, he said he was warned a year ago that increased enforcement would lead to violence between criminals, and by criminals against law enforcement. Chertoff said he didn't want agents to feel inhibited, and gave an applause line: "Second-guessers and hindsighters have no idea how difficult it is out there."