Politics | 02/26/2009 10:00 am
Napolitano in the Dark About Immigration Raid Details, Says Official
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Janet Napolitano may be the secretary of Homeland Security, but she doesn’t necessarily know everything that’s going on in her department.
According to a New York Times report, Homeland Security on Tuesday initiated a raid on an engine plant in Washington and arrested 28 alleged illegal immigrants. Napolitano, however, didn’t find out about the raid until Wednesday:
[Napolitano] on Wednesday ordered a review of a raid at an engine plant in Washington State that resulted in the arrests of 28 people suspected of being illegal immigrants.
A high-level official in the Department of Homeland Security said that Ms. Napolitano had not been informed about the raid on Tuesday before it happened, and that she was seeking details about its planning and scope.
‘She was not happy about it because it’s inconsistent with her position, and the president’s position on these matters,’ said the official …
With more than 200,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $40 million, Napolitano definitely has a lot on her plate, but it’s a bit odd that she didn’t know about this mission. Maybe someone simply kept the details to him- or herself?
But one thing that is definitely on Napolitano’s radar is drug-related violence at the U.S.-Mexico border. She told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday that the U.S. must help Mexican President Felipe Calderón battle his country’s dangerous drug cartels. If we don’t, that violence will continue to spill over into the United States. The violence is "of a different degree and level than we’ve ever seen before," she said. Narco-traffickers don’t take kindly to the crackdowns, and have responded by assassinating police and rival gang members. The New York Times reports today that Mexico has long believed that American arms dealers are helping put guns in the hands of the cartels.
The violence is so bad that Texas Gov. Rick Perry now wants 1,000 American troops at the border to help protect his state. More than 6,000 people died last year from Mexico’s drug war, many just across from El Paso. So far this year, 1,000 have died.
Though she’s worried about growing violence, Napolitano insisted that "we do not want to militarize the border."
Read more about: Drug Cartels, Drug Wars, Homeland Security, Homeland Security Secretary, Immigration, Immigration Raids, Janet Napolitano, Mexico, News, Obama Administration, U.S.
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29 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
"…we do not want to militarize the border."
Why not? Mexico is hours away from being a failed state/country. I think they are losing or have lost control of the situation. Seems to me that soldiers along the border would be at least a deterent. Countries militarize their borders when they feel unsafe — that appears to be common sense. I don’t think the violence is simply spilling over into the U.S. Rather, the U.S. is part of the problem since they are the consumers.
The problem is that violence has already and will continue to spread on the border here—unless we build an Israeli fence I don’t see how we can stop it—or we get the American gun dealers who supply the cartels under lock and key.
Beau: …unless we build an Israeli fence I don’t see how we can stop it…
They’re digging tunnels under the fences where they exist. The mile-wide (or more?) area along the border needs to be patrolled constantly. I don’t pretend to understand military solutions, but if we are willing to station troops all over the world as peace keepers, why not set up a base of operations in Texas? I don’t understand why Napolitano would be against that — but then, I haven’t heard her side of the story, either.
Beau, fp
How about a boycott on smoking bud, meth amphetamines and cocaine. Then the cartels wouldn’t have so much power. They even support much of the marijuana growing in Mendicino County and have invaded Sequoia National Park and Yosemite in the Sierras with hundreds and in some cases thousands of acres of marijuana production. They find streams and redirect their courses to water their fields.
Heard a report this morning that Phoenix Arizona now holds the title for most kidnapped for ransom by the drug cartels. It is in the US.
People are dying so Americans can get high.
deber: Think of the new jobs that would create!!
There ya go !!! Two birds with one stone — an efficient solution.
Make that three birds… the construction crews with their heavy equipment can dig deep into the soil to anchor a good footing for the wall, thus disturbing the shallow tunnels.
The account I read about the current border situation, Governor Perry’s request and Napolitano’s response stated that Napolitano does not want to militarize the border, which does not preclude adding more border patrol. The concern is the fighting moving into Texas, the depths of which are not known right now. Napolitano is reviewing the Governor’s request and the facts of the situation.
Governor Perry is in a battle for Governor against the Senior Senator returning from Washington. He is prepared to do anything to get in the headlines. He wants beefed up protection for the state, but initially he announced that he would decline all monies offered to Texas.
As for the raid in Washington state, does anyone know what Michael Chernoff’s title in the government is? Maybe he coordinated that raid.
Peace and grace