Napolitano: Border security better than ever

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano speaks, Thursday, March 24, 2011 in El Paso, Texas.

/ Ruben R. Ramirez,AP Photo/The El Paso Times

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday to ensure Americans that it's safe to travel and conduct business across the border, but Republicans from the Southwest suggested the Obama administration isn't doing enough to keep the region secure.

"There is a perception that the border is worse now than it ever has been," Napolitano said at the Bridge of The Americas border crossing in El Paso, Texas, the Associated Press reports. "That is wrong. The border is better now than it ever has been."

Napolitano met with the mayors of El Paso, Nogales, Arizona, and Yuma, Arizona yesterday, along with Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin.

The perception that violent crime in Mexico is spilling across the border is false, Napolitano and other leaders said. Violent crime rates have remained flat or decreased in Southwest border communities, she said.

El Paso has been ranked the safest U.S. city of its size, even though it sits across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which is plagued by drug cartel violence, Mayor John Cook said.

"The lie about border cities being dangerous has been told so many times that people are starting to believe it, but we as border communities have to speak out," Cook sad.

The 1,200 National Guard troops President Obama deployed along the southern border last year are scheduled to leave in June, when they'll be replaced by 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents, the Arizona Daily Star reports. The federal legislation that funded those new agents also allocated funds for two new unmanned aircraft systems, the erection of two new forward operating bases, 250 Customs and Border Protection port offices and 250 Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators.

Still, after touring the border in Arizona with other Republican lawmakers, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in Tucson Thursday that the administration was making a mistake by withdrawing the National Guard, according to the Star.

"The work that the National Guard has been doing is vital and it needs to be increased rather than decreased," McCain said. "When the secretary of Homeland Security withdraws the National Guard from the border after they've been doing such a good job, we don't know if they are really serious about securing our border."

Other Southwest Republicans also criticized federal efforts at border security while Napolitano was in town. Texas State Sen. Tommy Williams at a news conference on Thursday highlighted an incident last year in which bullets thought to have come from a Juarez shootout hit El Paso's City Hall.

"Napolitano is visiting there today," Williams said, the El Paso Times reports. "I hope she sees some of these bullet holes as I did when I was in El Paso."

Williams unveiled a resolution on Thursday calling for a bipartisan state delegation to go to Washington to meet with the executive branch over border security, as well as for a cost analysis of immigration enforcement needs.

[documemts]

Border security IS better than ever! She's right.

[reformed_druid]

If the security is so good, why are there now 50 million illegals Mexicans in this country that we know about?

[LIBBUSTER]

Is this woman brain dead literally? Come on what a load of crap. Obama is selling guns to the dam drug cartels our people are getting shot left and right, the drug cartels have taken possession of southern parts of Arizona and she is saying this. Phoenix it the kidnapping capital of America now because of the drug cartels. Some needs to put this woman in an institution for the mentally insane.

[Stormpatrol]

All anyone has to do is read the news of the killing and the rapes and kidnappings in the south west to know this woman is a lunatic.

[trimrider]

Yea Jessy you know that is what liberals do they call people names when they can't win an argument. Empty of facts they just lash out. You have every reason to call this witch a insane freak. She is a clear and present danger to the USA just as Obama is. WE have a list of racist so we will be putting this idiot on the list believe me.

[jessytell]

catmomtx:
Jessytell, you really need to get some help with your anger and intolerance. Your post sound ignorant, petty and racist. That's my opinion. I'm just sayin.....

AHHH the old liberal play. Call the Mexican a racist. The one whose father was murdered by drug dealers crossing the border in AZ. The one that has to live with the insanity of the idiot Freak Janet Napolitano You are a racist pig and an ignorant idiot. Come here to the border with your family then defend the ass----face Janet. I will make sure everyone knows what a racist you are.

[catmomtx]

Why do so many of you refuse to accept the facts? It is not like you can't research what Homeland Security Chief Napolitano is saying and it isn't as if it hadn't been said before. Anything that shows that things in this country are improving under the stellar leadership of President Obama and his administration you people deny, deny, deny. Well the American people, the ones that you all don't speak for are not buying the bs you all are trying to sell. Research and educate yourselves instead of allowing yourselves to be used by people who are using you and could care less about you.

Jessytell, you really need to get some help with your anger and intolerance. Your post sound ignorant, petty and racist. That's my opinion. I'm just sayin.....

[ajvw]

what planet is she on?

[historyguy1776]

User - Arbitus mentioned 50 million hispanics... are you afraid of illegal immigrant, or are all hispanic the problem? Your number is rather accurate, but I thought this article was about illegal/unauthorized immigrants, and racism against hispanics.

PEW research also suggested illegal immigration has decreased in recent years, despite Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News's fear mongering. I encourage anyone and everyone to check out the real numbers. Economic recession historically often lead to xenophobic fears, even when unwarranted.

[BoycottMcDonalds]

According to the PEW Hispanic Center, the 2010 Census counted 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States. Hispanics now account for 16.3% of the total U.S. population. The nation's Latino population, which was 35.3 million in 2000, grew 43% over the decade. The Hispanic population also accounted for most of the nation's growth (56%) from 2000 to 2010.

According to FAIR, illegal immigration costs the US $113 billion annually. It's estimated that 9 to 20 million illegal aliens are working in the US. We have roughly 10 million unemployed Americans currently, I.e., for every illegal alien working in the US, there is an unemployed US citizen.

Throwing the "Xenophobe" bomb does nothing to bolster your argument at a time of high unemployment, where low-skilled Americans must now compete with those who will work for a fraction and in sub-standard conditions. But continue to post, because name calling says more about you.

[jessytell]

This lady freak mindless clueless sh---it for brains needs to be looked away for the security of the country. She is clearly insane.