Junta for Progressive Action
Maria Garriga and Joseph Straw, Register Staff 05/16/2006
President Bush’s plan to send the National Guard to the U.S. border with Mexico met less than lukewarm enthusiasm in Connecticut, largely because many see it as saber rattling to appease border states.
The National Guard will handle paperwork, construction and supplies, but not the patrols.
Many opponents and advocates on immigration agree that effective border control needs to address the economic desperation that drives immigrants to risk their lives crossing the border.
And some want the president to take more substantive action.
"We are literally being invaded by people from all over the world. We don’t know who is breaking into our country. Sending in the National Guard won’t be as effective as sending the Army or Marines," said Elise Marciano of Danbury, a founding member of U.S. Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement Fairness.
People who sympathize with undocumented workers also think that the National Guard is not the answer to the problem with the nation’s porous southern border.
"Sending the troops to the border will not work any better than sending troops to Iraq," said Kica Matos, executive director of Junta for Progressive Action, a nonprofit social service agency that aids many Hispanic immigrants.
"This will result in more deaths along the border," said Naveen Jagan, an organizer for Unidad Latino de la Comunidad of New Haven, a group that organized a rally at the New Haven Green recently where thousands showed their support for amnesty for undocumented workers.
Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation also view the plan with skepticism. U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd said the administration "can’t just throw out this proposal to stem criticism." He questioned who would hold authority over the troops and said they should not be conducting law enforcement.
"Simply put, this proposal can’t be a substitute for a long-term solution to strengthening our borders," Dodd said.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, pointed to Bush’s proposed budget for fiscal 2007.
"The president is saying that we only need 200 border patrol agents a year with his budget. If he thinks the answer is increased presence at the border, he should be asking for that in his budget, not putting another mandate on our National Guard already spread so thin," DeLauro said.
U.S .Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., who supports earned legalization, welcomed Bush’s idea and chided House Republicans for seeking to crack down on illegals.
"Use of National Guard troops could be workable as a temporary solution, provided it does not degrade our ability to fight the war on terror, dilute the Guard’s ability to perform other essential missions or divert resources from staffing, training and deploying additional border patrol agents," Lieberman said.
Jagan points out that a similar patrol buildup in 1994, passed under President Clinton, failed to prevent immigrants from crossing the border to escape hardship in their countries.
"The National Guard’s main objective is to help the nation in times of crisis. The second is to help the country in times of war. Is sending troops to the border in keeping with those goals?" asked Werner Oyandel, an associate legislative analyst at the state Commission on Puerto Rican and Latino Affairs in Hartford.
Oyandel said the commission has been lobbying for a review of how visas are issued. The commission thinks the best solution to solve the problem is to issue more visas to low-wage workers.
According to White House officials, under President Bush the border patrol has hired 2,700 more workers, bringing the total force up to 12,000.
"The solution is to increase our legal immigrants to ease the pressure on people coming here. If we need to have certain people come to do work here, it should be done legally," Marciano said.
"We need to combine intelligent border patrol with a guest worker program. I personally think offering a path to citizenship is necessary," Matos said.
Maria Garriga can be reached at mgarriga@nhregister.com or 789-5726. Joseph Straw can be reached at jstraw@nhregister.com or (202) 737-5654.