According The Hill, the “Hill” is worried about the border again. “Members of Congress are raising the alarm that war-like conditions on the Mexican border could lead to Mexican drug cartels helping terrorists attack the U.S.” Jody Yager reports. Terrorism aside—there is more than enough reason to be concerned about border security. I reported last week in The Examiner “The terrorists rampaging in Mexico today are members of drug cartels and transnational gangs. They are at war with the Mexican government, fighting to control the smuggling corridors that carry people, guns, money, and drugs into the United States. It’s a $25 billion per year business—and a dangerous one. The body count from Mexico’s ‘drug wars’ was somewhere between 5,500 and 6,000 last year, and the pace of killing is up so far this year.”
The real issue is—what to do? Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano declared last week she has no intention of “militarizing the border.” This statement runs against here actions as governor in Arizona when she not called out the state guard, but also declared a “state of emergency.”
Still her statement is the right call. Sending the troops to the border en masse is a not good idea. The Pentagon is busy enough overseas and what needs to be done on border calls for more law enforcement—not more bayonets.
There is a lot that could and should be done (and don’t mean building more border walls—most of the “fence is already constructed). In fact, we sent a memo to Obama outlining what the real priorities should be. For starters, we have to do a much better job supporting local law enforcement on the border. That includes diverting homeland security from buying fire trucks and gas masks to critical needs, such as supporting local law enforcement at the border. Likewise, the Homeland Security Department should be investing a lot more in efforts like the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces.
