Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sun Editorial:

Readying border buildup

Protecting against the murderous drug cartels is a bigger priority than workplace raids

Dozens of federal agents would be assigned to reinforce agents already in place along the border with Mexico under a plan being finalized by the Justice and Homeland Security departments.

The plan, which has not yet been publicly announced, is an emergency reaction to the mounting violence occurring as members of Mexican drug cartels battle for control of drug routes into the United States.

Associated Press reporters last week wrote that they had talked with federal officials involved with the plan. They learned that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE, will shift more than 90 officers to the area. Also, the AP reported, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is hiring 37 more people for assignments along the border.

Given the urgency of the situation — more than 7,000 Mexicans, including soldiers and police, have been killed in the borderland drug wars since January 2008, and killings and kidnappings have spread across the border into the U.S. — the plan includes preparation for a much larger infusion of federal agents.

The AP reported that immigration officials are considering asking Congress for approval to shift tens of millions of dollars away from common enforcement of workplace immigration laws in order to spend that money on a border buildup appropriate to the threat posed by drug cartels.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, spoke against such a request, the AP reported, saying workplace enforcement is of great importance in fighting border violence.

We take the opposite view. It is rare to hear of any real trouble being caused by illegal immigrants who have jobs at innocuous workplaces. They might have falsified their identification papers, but only because they had no prospects for work in Mexico and desperately needed to make a living for themselves and their families.

Members of Mexican drug gangs who cross the border, however, have demonstrated their propensity for murder, torture, kidnapping and a host of other crimes. The enforcement priority is clear, in our view.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy