Last year the House overwhelmingly approved a similar provision that I sponsored as an amendment to the FY 1999 DoD bill. The amendment. however. was dropped during a HouseSenate conference. Make no mistake about it. the Border Patrol. INS and Customs Service desperately need the help our military could provide. For example. only three out of every 100 trucks coming into the U.S. from Mexico are inspected. In addition. recent news reports reveal that the INS is considering releasing thousands of dangerous illegal aliens currently being held in detention centers because of funding and manpower shortages. And finally. in just the last year. federal agents in one border sector alone seized 132 tons of marijuana and more than 3 tons of cocaine worth a total of $408 million. I recently cosigned a letter with a number of my colleagues imploring the President to fill a backlog of vacant Border Patrol positions. But clearly this is not enough. By the time those positions are filled with qualified candidates. who knows how many more illegal drugs will hit our streets and reach our children?
Identified stereotypes
Undocumented immigrants are described as 'dangerous illegal aliens'.