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Residents cite fear created by crisis on border
By Gary Martin Express-News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Rep. Lamar Smith again urged the Clinton administration Wednesday to step up its hiring of Border Patrol agents as Southwest ranchers told Congress that "we must remain armed at all times."
Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, said the tales of violence and chaos along the U.S-Mexico border are the "consequence of having too few Border Patrol agents to protect Americans."
A robust economy and strong job market have hindered Border Patrol recruitment, according to Nicole Chulick, a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Naturalization service, the patrol's parent agency.
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Attorney General Janet Reno also has voiced concern about the ratio of inexperienced agents with the Border Patrol, which has more than doubled its ranks to 9,000 in the past five years.
Nonetheless, Smith, R-San Antonio, and other Republicans have criticized the administration for failing to add 1,000 new Border Patrol agents each year as mandated by law.
A Senate committee approved $83 million Wednesday to add 1,000 agents in fiscal year 2000, which begins Oct. 1. A similar measure could pass in the House.
To underscore the need for the agents, Smith used his congressional panel to hear directly from people affected by what he called the "lack of immigration law enforcement."
Tobin Armstrong, a Kenedy County commissioner and rancher, said a 44-year-old woman, who died from dehydration, was found earlier Thursday.
She was the sixth undocumented immigrant from Mexico to perish this year trying to enter the country illegally, he said.
Armstrong said undocumented immigrants have caused an increase in property crimes, disease, violence and death since 1993.
Larry Vance of Douglas, Ariz., was more pointed.
"We live in constant fear of being robbed, assaulted or worse," Vance said. "We must remain armed at all times because border bandits prey upon the helpless within close proximity of our homes, and armed drug smugglers transport drugs past in the night.
"We are like prisoners in our own homes," Vance said.
At one point, the hearing escalated into angry rhetoric aimed at all immigrants, particularly Hispanics.
Smith cut off one witness who complained that Hispanic immigrants who brought "chickens, goats and laundry hanging" into his neighborhood.
"We black Americans are being displaced in Los Angeles,"
said Terry Anderson, an automobile mechanic.
He was applauded by a group organized by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates strict caps on legal immigration.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said the government should better enforce its immigration laws, but cautioned witnesses against using a "broad brush" that reinforces unfair stereotypes.
In a hallway interview, Jackson Lee questioned Congress' need to create what she called a "hysterical" atmosphere.
"The applause at the beginning showed this was orchestrated," she said.
As to the testimony, she said: "We should not pit blacks against Hispanics."
Smith said the witnesses didn't intend racist remarks. And overall, there were "compelling stories who every day come into contact with illegal immigration," he said.
"I thought the witnesses had a lot to say that we haven't heard before," Smith said.
Ezola Foster, president for Americans for Family Values, urged the subcommittee to "halt the flood of illegal aliens coming into our country."
"If we have to, we can put our military on the border
of Mexico," Foster said.
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