Series of U.S. Border reforms

     The Department Of Justice and Homeland Security will strengthen legal efforts to keep international gang members out of the United States. Chertoff said, “Gangs are at the root of many U.S. crime problems today, and many of the most dangerous gangs draw significant membership from abroad.” The Federal government already denies visas to known members of certain gangs from Mexico, Cental America, South America, China, the former Soviet Union, and certain other Asia countries. The President has directed the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand this list of dangerous organized gangs from other nations and to ensure that members of those gangs are barred from entry into the United States. See War On Drugs And Terror
 
    Mukasey said, “the situation on the border is dynamic. That is, the criminals we are dealing with—alien smugglers, drug smugglers, gun smugglers, and the like. Mindful of these challenges, the Justice Department is developing a Southwest Border enforcement strategy that is not only comprehensive, but also flexible in responding to the particular needs and challenges of each sector and each district.”
 
    In prepared remarks by Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey at the State of the Border Press Briefing in Washington, D.C. February 22, 2008 said, “The security of our borders raises issues basic to us as a nation. The ability to control who—and what—comes into and out of a country is one of the most important attributes of a sovereign government, and being able to do that is vital to our nation’s security.” The AG went on to say despite Congress’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we have done a lot to help secure our borders over the last few years, but there is still a lot to be done. This is especially true in connection with our Southwest Border. The many problems associated with the border is among his highest priorities.
Mukasey told the press “although one size doesn’t fit all, as is true elsewhere, it is absolutely critical that we work together—that the left hand knows what the right is doing. It doesn’t make our country as a whole any safer for one district to solve a problem by pushing that problem into another district. one of our main goals is to reduce incentives for people to come to this country illegally. Put another way, we are seeking to raise the costs of coming here illegally – especially for those who come here illegally and commit additional crimes, like narcotics trafficking and gun trafficking.”

In partnership with DHS, the Justice  are working to improve rates of prosecution and deportation of criminal aliens, especially gang members, who are detained in American jails and prisons. The Central District of California, introduced a pilot program in 2006, and the following year there was a 116% increase in prosecutions of criminal aliens for illegal reentry. Justice is reviewing that program with an eye toward expanding it to the Southwest Border districts and other districts.
The Justice Department’s needs are massive. In FY2007 the five Southwest Border U.S. Attorney’s Offices prosecuted almost 12,000 felony immigration cases – almost two-thirds of the national total. When you add the increasingly large number of misdemeanor prosecutions to the mix, with programs like Operation Streamline, the burdens on these offices are staggering. These programs impose other costs on the Department as well, from need for detention space, to costs for prisoner security and transportation. The prosecutors and law enforcement officers on the frontlines are making heroic efforts with the resources they have, but they need more.

Just two months ago, Congress appropriated a total of $22 million to support our prosecutors and U.S. Marshals on the Southwest Border. They plan to use that money to hire additional prosecutors, support staff, and Deputy U.S. Marshals. By December 2008, they expect to add as many as 50 new attorneys and 100 Deputy U.S. Marshals dedicated to border enforcement.  
This year the Administration is seeking an extra $100 million in funds for the Department’s Southwest Border Enforcement Initiative. With that money, they will hire more than 265 employees, including over 50 attorneys to support increased prosecutions for immigration, drug, and firearms offenses; over 50 Deputy U.S. Marshals to improve prisoner security and transportation; and over 25 Drug Enforcement Administration agents to reduce the flow of drugs into our country from the South.
Justice feels these resources are absolutely necessary to deal with the problems at the border, including the growing problem of cross-border violence and gang threats. “We’ve seen record numbers of extraditions from Mexico. We’ve seen a government, in the Calderon administration that is willing to take the fight to the cartels. We’ve seen an increase in the numbers of law enforcement officers and vetted units that we can partner with. And we’ve seen searches and arrests not just here but also in Mexico, including the seizure last month of an underground target range in Tijuana that was actually a training ground for drug cartel assassins.”  According to Mukasey.
Our enforcement efforts at the Southwest Border are making a difference, but our nation’s security calls for more. That will require a comprehensive yet flexible enforcement plan, and considerable resources to address the problems associated with the border. The Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, is developing such a plan, and we’re actively pursuing the necessary resources.

    Chertoff said, “The administration will require all travelers to our ports of entry to use passports or other similar secure documents. Since January 2007, air travelers have been required to carry a passport for entry into the United States. Because of passport processing backlogs, a temporary accommodation has been made for U.S. citizens traveling in the Western Hemisphere, which was phased out in January 31, 2008, DHS will phase in a requirement for passports or other secure documents for sea and land ports of entry.

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