In an article in Saturday's Green Valley News, Assistant Chief John Fitzpatrick said that, "it’s not feasible 'or prudent' to put all the Border Patrol’s assets on the border." Instead he wants to build a fixed $20 million checkpoint 30 miles inland.
Hmmm, not reasonable or prudent. That's interesting, because the Border Patrol was able to effectively defend the Border in both the San Diego and El Paso sectors with Operations Gatekeeper and Hold the Line respectively. Apparently, according to the Border Patrol, the Tucson Sector does not rate a similar level of effort?
Also, in a GAO report, it was pointed out that the Border Patrol's strategy of waiting to apprehend smugglers and illegal immigrants until they have crossed the border was criticized by the Sandia National Laboratory as "inefficient and diminished the Border Patrol ability to control the Border." They recommended that the Border Patrol change its tactics from after the fact apprehension to preventing smuggler and illegal immigrants entering the U.S. in the first place.
That recommendation makes common sense. But instead the Border Patrol would rather keep doing things just because that's the way they have always have done it.
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First: Lets be honest with the public the CSSB started as group of Tubac, Arizona residents that was originally ok with a permanent checkpoint on I-19 so long as it was south of Tubac. Then when the Border Patrol wanted to put a permanent checkpoint north of Tubac did they begin to cry out. For several years they had Congressman Jim Kolbe on their side and he introduced and passed legislation that would prevent a permanent checkpoint on I-19. They would have you believe that congressman Kolbe always objected to a checkpoint on I-19 which is not true. He did not get involved until after the Border Patrol moved the temporary checkpoint north of Tubac. After Congressman Kolbe retired and his legislative machinations stopped. They realized that their ELITIST stance would not work politically with the new Congresswoman, Gabriella Giffords, and would not play well in the press. Then they formed the CSSB and began their campaign to prevent a permanent checkpoint anywhere on I-19. If fact one of the Tubac, Arizona ELITIST residents was published in the Tuesday, August 14, 2007 issue of the Nogales International Newspaper as saying,” I've often wondered how logical it would be to concentrate all of this Border Patrol manpower at the border rather than have them living among us and invading our private lives.” I mean come on, concentrate all of this Border Patrol manpower at the border rather than having live among us?? If that is not ELITIST SNOBBERY I don’t know what is.
Second: For those of you who believe that a single static line of defense works I got the following lesson for you. A government believed that their national security was at risk and come up with a modern technological marvel to stop the invaders from crossing their border and taking over their country. They put several years and a large amount of money into its construction. For they believed that a strong single static line of defense would stop the invaders and they were wrong!! This technological marvel is today known as the Great Wall of China and it failed. The Mongols went on to capture and rule China for years.
Lesson not learned in the years after the First World War the French Government poured millions of francs and several years into the Maginot Line and for what. The Germans blew through that and conquered France.
A single static line of defense is a single static line of defense. It does not matter how much technology that you place on that line eventually it will be penetrated.
Once that line is penetrated and you do not have a defense in depth set up everything that penetrates that single static line of defense will be free to roam around behind it with NO fear of repercussions or apprehension.
That is why even our ultra technologically advanced military believes in and practices a defense in depth.
The only way that we will be able to defend our country from illegal aliens, the illegal entry of terrorists and the illegal entry of weapons of mass destruction is a defense in depth, which needs to include a permanent check point in I-19. Temporary checkpoints DO NOT and CAN NOT have the infrastructure to properly check the vehicles passing thought it.
Heck even the castle builders of the middle ages understood that defense in depth was the only way to defend an object. That was the reason for a moat, then the outer wall, then the inner wall and then the castle.
I also read the Sandia National Laboratory report and could not find the part CSSB quoted. What I took from the report as a whole after I read it is that all the sectors that have permanent checkpoints are have fewer apprehension than Tucson Sector which does not have a permanent checkpoint. Makes you wonder…
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