Speech #990004430

Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar. who was abducted on February 7. This border crackdown has generated a lot of controversy both in Mexico and the United States. In so doing. it has focused new attention on just how open our border is. and why we have so many problems with illegal aliens. terrorists. drugs. and other contraband entering our country through the border with Mexico. The fact is. its easy to cross the border between Mexico and the United States. While our Border Patrol and Immigration Service are doing the best they can to police the border. they just dont have the manpower and resources necessary to do the Job. How can they be expected to control the influx of illegal aliens and drugs into our country when we have something like one border patrolman for every 200 miles of border with Mexico? The chaos which is occurring now as a result of the search for Agent Salazar is unacceptable to both America and Mexico. I regret that it has taken this kidnaping incident to show that we are capable of tightening the security along our borders. but that we dont even have a coordinated strategy for doing so. I hope and pray that Agent Salazar will be rescued safely. and that the rumors of other plots to kidnap U.S. drug enforcement officials prove to be groundless. But we cannot depend on that. I hope that we have finally learned from this incident that we must develop a strategy and commit the resources now to deal with the terrorism. drug smuggling. illegal aliens and other problems aiong our border with Mexico.