http://www.townhall.com/blog#cecce51f-7ebc-4f02-ad82-0beeed4e1938 >From A Border Patrol Agent <file:///C:/blog/g/cecce51f-7ebc-4f02-ad82-0beeed4e1938> Posted by: Hugh Hewitt at 10:55 AM
<http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/a6cc0554-9c75-4ea0-af08-1fa11d473b1d> In a post below I referenced an e-mail from a Border Patrol agent. I have now receievd his permission to post it: Hugh, Hope you read this. I'm a Border Patrol Agent and have been assigned to Arizona (Tucson Sector) for [many] years. This is the busiest section of border in the nation. I have been shot at and assaulted with rocks, bottles, etc. more times than I can count. I'm not bragging, just trying to establish some credibility. Here are a few facts you should be aware of: Fact: Fences are useless without Border Patrol Agents to patrol them. They don't prevent people from crossing, they merely slow them down. Fences are about certainty of arrest, not the physical barrier itself. Fact: It takes one Agent per 1/4 mile to effectively control a section of border fence. Anything less and the fence(s) are ineffective. We see it every day; the bad guys get over, under, or through. Fact: The U.S./Mexico Border is 1951 miles long. We need 4 agents per mile. We would need to deploy 7804 Agents per shift, 3 shifts per day. Total required manpower: 23,412 Agents per day. Projected BP staffing level: 18,000. Fact: Fences are absolutely necessary ONLY in urban areas where Agents have only seconds to minutes to make an apprehension. Fact: The BP will never have sufficient manpower to forward deploy agents every 1/4 mile across the border. Fence or no fence, potential terrorists, illegal aliens and drug smugglers will exploit the areas devoid of agents. Fact: Forward deploying every Agent in the BP will leave coverage gaps. These gaps will be exploited. With all Agents forward deployed no Agents will be available to cover the gaps. Fact: Huge tracts of the border are inaccessible because of environmental issues and/or terrain challenges Solution: DEFENSE IN DEPTH. 1. Forward deploy Agents in URBAN areas supported by fencing and stadium lighting (See San Diego/Texas). 2. Deploy roving patrols to rural/remote areas where agents have hours to days to make an apprehension. These agents need support from sensors, drive-through barriers, ground surveillance radar, infrared/daytime cameras, UAVs, air assets, etc to create certainty of arrest. 3. Stand up permanent immigration checkpoints in Arizona on major routes of egress from the border. Support these checkpoints with sensors, radar, remote cameras, etc to mitigate illegal traffic attempting to circumvent it. San Diego, New Mexico and Texas have employed this strategy with great effect; Arizona does not and is the weak link. Tucson Sector comprises 13% of the SW Border but accounts for nearly 40% of all BP apprehensions/illegal entries. Give Arizona the technology, drive-through barriers, agents and permanent checkpoints (WHICH HAVE BEEN BANNED BY CONGRESSIONAL LANGUAGE FROM 1999-2006!!!!!) not 800+ miles of fence. It is a catastrophic waste of money. Ask any BP Agent on the southwest border and they'll tell you the same thing. Don't know if you reply to any of your Emails, but I would love to go into greater depth if you're interested, particularly regarding checkpoints in Arizona. Thank you, It seems to me that the draft bill needs to increase not only the amount of fence constructed <http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/70ab8c2c-9e0b-41b4-8ffb-279de0016934> prior to the first "probationary Z visa" issues, but also another30%+ hike in the number of BP agents. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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