Border Mismanagement
ABP Calls For Independent Review
Sierra Vista (Arizona) Herald / Review -- September 29
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Does the new fence work? DHS doesn't know...
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Other federal spokesman says no reduction of border forces
Bisbee -- Federal officials do not intend to cut the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents deployed on the Southwestern border, despite comments to the contrary last week. [...]
Glenn Spencer, president of American Border Patrol, a nongovernmental organization, said he believes the first reports were correct and that a negative public reaction prompted the Department of Homeland Security to change its story.
"In other words, the DHS was making decisions as to manpower requirements based on public opinion, not sound management practices," he said.
He added that he thinks the confusion over how many agents are needed stems from lack of a clear definition of their mission.
"It might be smart to move some agents to the northern border, but how do we know?" he said. "The Government Accountability Office has pointed to the inability of DHS to assess the impact of the new fence as a major deficiency."
Spencer believes if the Department of Homeland Security had built on the U.S.-Mexico border the 700-mile double-fence originally mandated by Congress in October 2006, it could have reduced the number of agents on the Southwestern border by at least 3,000. He said he is unable to prove this, although he could do so with the proper budget.
He said the recent episode of conflicting information from the federal government points to the need for Congress to establish an independent watchdog agency to evaluate the effectiveness of the Border Patrol and report the results to Congress and the public.
"It is time to stop managing the border by putting a finger to the wind," he said. |
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