WPCNR For the Record. State of Immigration Speech and News Conference by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, November 6, 2007. Part 2, November 13, 2007: WPCNR continues the Secretary's account of the future of Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement we began yesterday. Herewith we continue the Secretary's remarks on the training of Border Patrol Personnel, the technology improvements in immigration enforcement and the latest numbers on how effective the Border efforts have been.
Now I’ve talked about tactical infrastructure, but obviously that’s merely a tool that enables the Border Patrol to do their job, which is to intercept, apprehend and remove people who enter this country illegally, as well as to intercept the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband. And that means we’ve got to give the Border Patrol the kinds of resources necessary to do patrolling as we build infrastructure across the border.
That’s why the President in May of 2006 committed to doubling the number of Border Patrol agents as compared with the roughly 9,000 agents who were part of the Border Patrol force when President Bush took office in 2001. That means we committed to getting over 18,000 boots on the ground by the end of calendar year 2008.
So how are we doing? Well, when the President made the announcement in May of 2006, we had about 11,500 agents. By the end of this past fiscal year in October, we had almost 15,000 agents. In other words, we’ve added basically about 3,500 agents in the period of time since the President made that commitment. We are on track to exceeding 18,000 agents by the end of calendar year 2008, which will be the doubling the President committed to getting done. We’re also going to be requesting funds -- again, we asked Congress to give us these funds -- to get to the level of 20,000 agents by the end of fiscal year 2009, which of course will be after the President has left office.
The question that sometimes comes up is: Are we compromising the standards for training the Border Patrol agents to move these accelerated numbers? And the answer is: No, we’re not. We’ve carefully studied and worked with the Border Patrol and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia to make sure that we can accommodate the increased flow without sacrificing the very important training that is necessary to equip the Border Patrol to do the job safely and effectively at the border. That includes physical training to handle the very challenging environment at the border, classroom instruction, language skills for those who need it, training in the use of force and the appropriate rules of engagement, defensive driving, and instruction in the law that governs the proper respect for civil rights.
I’m confident that we have not sacrificed any of the quality of training. But I’m not relying only upon what I’ve heard from the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection or the Chief of the Border Patrol or the head of our Training Center. Here’s what the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers had to say about the issue of training. They were initially skeptical about whether we could get the job of increased recruitment and deployment done without sacrificing training. But after going down to inspect the program in New Mexico, the statement that this National Association issued was as follows: “They are doing it, and they are doing it exceptionally well. There has been no degradation of training standards; to the contrary, they have improved substantially.” That is the view and the assessment of an independent group of former Border Patrol officers.
I also have to comment and thank -- comment upon and thank the National Guard, which continues to support the Border Patrol under Operation Jump Start. It was the purpose of the National Guard to fill the gap as we increased recruiting. And of course, as we’ve gotten 3,500 additional agents into the Border Patrol, we have drawn down the National Guard from the original start-up number of 6,000 to the current number of 3,000. But the National Guard continues to assist with entry identification teams, fence construction, and serves as an important force multiplier to let our Border Patrol get the job done as effectively as possible.
Technology at the Border
The third element of our strategy is technology. We’re in the 21st century and we ought to be using 21st-century tools, which means more than just fencing and barriers. We have added new technology at the border as we speak: unmanned aerial systems and ground-based radar in mobile units enables us -- and I’ve seen this with my own eyes -- to have either aerial, video or ground-based radar connected into a Border Patrol agent who can map onto his grid exactly where migrants are coming in so that he can direct a Border Patrol team to intercept and apprehend those migrants, and to do it in a place that is most convenient and most effective for the Border Patrol.
We’re going to continue to move forward with technology, and in particular we’re going to do so as part of an integrated project that we’re currently assessing and testing at what we call our P28 location in Arizona, right near Sasabe. When that system is fully accepted, the system will have integrated radar and cameras that will give a common operating picture over a 28-mile stretch to a Border Patrol agent who will be able then to use that information to direct the Border Patrol to conduct an efficient and safe interception.
Now we are being rigorous about the testing, which is currently underway. And I have said to the Chief of the Border Patrol, and I have said publicly, that we’re not going to actually accept and buy a system until we know what works, not just in the laboratory but in the frankly very tough environment of the border itself. But we’re making progress and we’re committed to using the results of this technology to continue to move forward with our efforts at the border.
The Numbers
That of course brings up the most important question: Are the efforts we’re undertaking having an impact? So let’s look at some metrics. In fiscal year 2007, we saw a 22 percent reduction in apprehensions of illegal aliens at the Southern border as compared to the previous year. Even after adjusting for seasonal differences, we’re at the lowest point in the last five years. While this in and of itself is not conclusive proof of driving down the numbers of illegal migrants between the ports of entry, other factors support the view that we’re beginning to see a significant turn in the direction of migration.
We haven’t completed the job yet, but we’ve made a significant first step in reversing the tide of illegal migration between the ports of entry. For example, anecdotal information tells us that there are fewer people in traditional border staging areas. A recent Pew research report not only agreed with us that there have been declines in apprehensions, but noted that financial remittances from the United States to foreign countries have significantly declined, and that has been attributed at least in significant part to the fact that there are fewer people coming across the border to do work. In fact, The New York Times recently ran a piece suggesting that this decrease in remittances from Mexico was due to the impact of our enforcement efforts.
This is not a declaration of victory or suggestion that the job is done. It is, however, I think, a fair recognition that we have begun to make some progress and we’ve turned the tide. What it ought to do is it ought to encourage us to step up the tempo and step up the pace. And I’m committed to making sure we do just that.
