Lawmakers Use Border Security as Political Ploy

By Diane M. Grassi


On August 12, 2005 Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico issued Executive Order 2005-040 declaring a ‘state of emergency’ in four New Mexico counties along its border with Mexico. It is intended to free up funds totalling $1.5 million for a variety of actions he felt necessary. Specifically, Hidalgo, Luna, Grant and Dona Ana counties are in “an extreme state of disrepair” according to the governor. The state of emergency stems from the governor’s conclusion of “violence encountered by law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling and human smuggling, with an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.” New Mexico’s border with Mexico covers over 180 miles.

Funding will be utilized for state and local law enforcement and paying for overtime, creating and providing for a field office for the New Mexico Office of Homeland Security and building a fence to protect a livestock yard near Columbus, NM, which covers a 54-mile stretch, a popular entry point for illegal aliens. The new barbed wire fence will replace a shorter barbed wire fence in disrepair. The new fence is being built primarily to prevent cattle from Mexico straying across the border. “We don’t want contagious diseases to contaminate our food supply and disrupt our agricultural economy,” said Richardson.

Whether or not the $1.5 million can be stretched far enough for Gov. Richardson’s well-meaning initiatives remains to be seen. But skeptics, critics of Bill Richardson’s in particular, and citizens from both sides of the aisle do no trust this latest gesture of good will. After all, New Mexico residents, other border state residents and especially landowners directly on the border have been asking for additional Border Patrol agents and federal and state enforcement of immigration law for years. Governor Richardson’s recent actions combined with his ‘state of emergency’ tell more about his political leanings rather than being a man of law and order.

In April 2005 Governor Richardson vetoed a state bill known as “No Fear,” which would have prohibited state and local law enforcement from working in concert with federal law enforcement, such as the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the apprehension of those in the country illegally. In fact, it garnered national attention. What was not as openly disclosed, however, was that immediately thereafter on April 7, 2005 Governor Richardson issued Executive Order 2005-019 or ‘Clarifying Victim and Witness Protections in New Mexico’. As such, “State Law Enforcement officers shall not inquire about a person’s immigration status for the sole purpose of determining whether that person is present in the United States in violation of civil immigration law.”

With his well known dossier, having served in the administration of President Bill Clinton, Bill Richardson has made well-known his Democratic and liberal leanings. As a former U.S. Congressman (D-NM), U.N. Ambassador and later the Secretary of Energy in Bill Clinton’s second term, Richardson has also expressed interest in the past in running for the office of the president and as names are already appearing amongst pontificators for the 2008 campaign, many have looked at Richardson’s ‘bold’ move to protect the border of New Mexico as a way of seeking national office once again. Given the years of turmoil on the border and the seemingly small allocation of funds he said he will provide for four counties, one can only wonder if he is putting political expediency ahead of seriously addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

On the heels of Governor Richardson’s state of emergency declaration comes Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Executive Order on August 15, 2005, declaring a ‘state of emergency’ for the four border counties in Arizona. The counties include Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz and Yuma, and is the most porous part of the U.S. southern border. Recently given national attention has been Napolitano’s veto of Proposition 200 which was passed by 56% of the voters of Arizona in November 2004. Proposition 200 represented an unprecedented move by Arizonans, which included 47% of the Latino voting public, to require proof of citizenship for first-time voters and proper identification on Election Day, as well as a requirement to present legal documentation in order to collect public state benefits that would otherwise not be available under federal law.

Napolitano has vetoed a whole host of passed state legislation this past year, aimed at reeling in abuses of the immigration laws statewide and federally. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals did uphold portions of Proposition 200 on August 9, 2005, concerning voters’ rights. However, which of its provisions and how they will be enforced are still pending in Arizona state court. With her gubernatorial re-election in 2006 approaching, Governor Napolitano’s declared ‘state of emergency’ appears to be self-serving now and rings hollow among her constituents.

Richardson’s comments that “the federal government and Congress are not delivering what we need,” were not taken lightly by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) who serves on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Domenici claims that “Congress has provided millions for border security, and set aside millions more for future projects. However, the important thing is to realize that money and fences alone are not going to solve the illegal immigration problems. Congress must undertake real, in-depth immigration reform that will find a long-term solution to this problem.” The people of New Mexico and the U.S. are still waiting.

And Senator John McCain (R-AZ) did what he could in his efforts to help defeat Proposition 200 prior to its ratification by his own constituents. He has aligned himself with Senator Kennedy (D-MA), arguably the liberal conscience of the Democratic Party. They are presently involved in a full-throttle campaign to gather support for their Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S.1033), one of three bill proposals circulating in the Senate. The McCain-Kennedy bill has been touted as nothing more than an amnesty bill and the most liberal of the three. It does however speak volumes about McCain’s wooing the Democratic left as he ramps up for an expected bid for president in 2008 with the Republican Party.

The American people, however, are not given enough credit by their elected officials, who believe that a little window dressing and double speak will satisfy the real and vital needs necessary to defend U.S. borders. And without their true recognition of the toll illegal immigration exacts on national security and the economic health and civil rights of Americans, will they ever truly regain their trust.