July 23, 2006
 
COMMENTARY: Many Police Officers Disenchanted with President Bush on Immigration
 
By Jim Kouri
Special to HNN
 
During the last presidential campaign cycle, many national and local police organizations, as well as individual officers and commanders, supported the reelection of George W. Bush. Commanders and rank-and-file officers understood the fact that compared to the alternatives, Bush was the right man to serve as Commander-in-Chief in wartime.
 
For instance, the nation's largest organization, National Fraternal Order of Police -- representing over 350,000 officers -- endorsed Bush, as did many local organizations such as the New York Police Department's Police Benevolent Association, Detectives Endowment Association and others.
 
But now there's increasing disenchantment with President Bush on his handling of illegal immigration and border security. More and more police agencies find themselves engulfed in crimes being committed by illegal aliens. Mexican nationals dressed in military uniforms are coming into the United States while they protect drug and human traffickers and yet our leaders in Washington at best offer lip-service, at worst ignore the problem not wishing to alienate a perceived voting block.
 
"The problem has gotten worse and worse each year and the only people debating the subject [of illegal immigration] are American citizens. The politicians -- local, state and federal -- ignore the will of the people," says one police chief who's own mayor is pro-open borders.
 
Let's examine a recent complaint by one law enforcement commander, who is a Mexican-American himself:
 
Zapatas County, TX Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez says that the Mexico-US border problem is worsening. Sheriff Gonzalez said that Mexican troops, or those dressed in Mexican Army uniforms, continue to illegally enter the US on a regular basis.
 
Gonzales provides accounts of gunfire on the Mexico-US Texas border areas, which even extended into residential areas. Gonzales said that individuals dressed in Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs) and carrying automatic weapons are becoming a dangerous and escalating problem.
 
Gonzales also confirms that terrorist training camps (including those for the terror-gang MS-13) are active just South of Brownsville, TX in Mexico, something that been long believed by many police and security executives.
 
Yet, Sheriff Gonzales's pleas are being ignored by the mainstream news media and political leaders. When CBS News' 60 Minutes did a story on illegal immigration, the segment, hosted by Ed Bradley, was more propaganda than information. It was all emotion as opposed to being fact filled. And it was pro-illegal immigration.
 
According to US Customs and Border Protection agents, there have been 231 such incursions since 1996, an average of more than 28 per year. In addition, there have been cases of Middle Eastern men from terrorist-sponsoring nations gaining entry from Mexico into the US. Illegal aliens also commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime, including murder, sex crime against children and armed robbery.
 
In one study of a sample 55,000 illegal immigrants serving prison sentences in the US, it was discovered that they are responsible for over 400,000 arrests and over 700,000 felony crimes. In Los Angeles, 95 percent of the outstanding arrest warrants for homicide are for illegal aliens, with 65 percent of the overall arrest warrants are for illegals.
 
This is a widespread problem and will eventually lead to more crime and violence. How can the President of the United States allow a foreign soldiers on US soil who are carrying automatic firearms? Where are the so-called gun control advocates in congress who wish to disarm American citizens? Are they not concerned with foreign nationals entering the country armed to the teeth? US police departments are outgunned and outmanned and no one save a few congressmen are displaying any concern.
 
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. Kouri has appeared as on-air commentator for more than 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.U.S.