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Lou Dobbs Tonight - CNN
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Dems Call Bush's Budget a 'Hoax'; Pentagon Faces Program Cuts Despite Budget Increase; Two U.N. Officials Suspended over Scandal

Aired February 7, 2005 - 18:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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Next here, why the president's budget may be shortchanging our national security.

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DOBBS: The intelligence reform bill that President Bush signed into law in December of last year calls for 2,000 additional Border Protection agents to be added to the force every year for the next five years, but the president's budget for 2006 provides funding only for 210 new Border Patrol agents.

Bill Tucker reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to the borders, the administration is placing a premium on technology and discounting the people charged with guarding them.

The bulk of the budget contains dollars for technology enhancements, money for replacing planes, adding boats, improving sensors and surveillance equipment, yet it provides for only a slight increase in the number of agents charged with patrolling the 6,000 miles along the Canadian and Mexican borders and the 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding Florida and Puerto Rico.

T.J. BONNER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: I'm not sure that they really are that interested in controlling the border. This administration seems incapable of grasping the connection between border security and Homeland Security. Their commitment to funding border security initiatives is almost nonexistent.

TUCKER: Bonner points out that technology can help see or hear who's coming across the borders, but that it takes people to arrest them, and, instead of living up to the commitments called for in the Intelligence Reform Act, only 210 agents will be added to the Border Patrol, not the 2,000 called for.

Not everyone is unhappy. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement today praising the budget and highlighting the proposed $100 million increases in monies for detaining arrested illegal aliens, a spokesman saying these funds will provide a boost for bed space and alternative to detention programs to more effectively manage detained aliens.

There's also an additional $3-1/2 million for lawyers to help prosecute the cases.

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TUCKER: But critics of the administration keep going back to the central point that the border union is raising. Without a serious commitment to enough agents, Lou, there just aren't simply enough people to arrest them and all the resources in the world will go for naught.

DOBBS: This is beginning to look, if I may say, like a preamble to not only budget games, but games with border security that we're going to be treated to in Congress and on the part of the administration over the course of the next year as they try to grasp the relationship between national security and border security.

Thank you very much.

Bill Tucker.

That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight, and the question is phrased rather indelicately, but, nonetheless, it is the question. Do you believe President Bush's proposal to add 210 Border Patrol agents is sufficient to secure our national border? We thought the vote would be important. Please cast your vote, yes or no, at loudobbs.com. We'll have results later here in the broadcast.

The millions of illegal aliens already in this country often use Mexico's matricula consular cards as identification. They are now widely accepted at U.S. commercial banks, hospitals and even airlines, and they are easily forged documents.

Casey Wian reports from Los Angeles.

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CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich knew there was something wrong with Mexico's matricula consular I.D. car when a constituent obtained one using the supervisor's name and a photo from his Web site. It says he was born in Tijuana, Mexico.

Now Antonovich is trying to convince his fellow county supervisors to stop accepting the cards.

MICHAEL ANTONOVICH, L.A. COUNTY SUPERVISOR: This provides an open door to criminals because there are no background checks and it's open to fraud and abuse, from traveling on airlines to opening bank accounts.

WIAN: In places like Los Angeles, matricula consular cards are accepted by law-enforcement officers and health-care workers as viable identification, even though the FBI says they're easily counterfeited and are not reliable.

RUBEN BELTRAN, MEXICAN CONSUL GENERAL, LOS ANGELES: Supervisor Antonovich matricula shown today are cheap copies that can be spotted immediately. Anybody can obtain cheap copies of any officials document.

WIAN: Antonovich's proposal was also met with hostility by the local Spanish language press.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have something to say for the people who think that you don't like Mexican or Hispanic people?

ANTONOVICH: First of all, I don't like criminals. I don't like criminals who defraud the system. I don't like criminals who open up bank accounts to transfer money. I don't want to have criminals flying on airplanes jeopardizing the safety of fellow passengers.

WIAN: This reporter got in on the act by showing the new and improved matricula card that's less susceptible to forgery. Antonovich responded by pointing out that 90 percent of existing cards don't have those safeguards.

(on camera): Antonovich says counterfeit matricula consular cards are easily obtained in this neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. All it takes is $30 and about two hours. The County Board of Supervisors will vote tomorrow on whether to continue accepting the Mexican consular I.D.s.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Britain is also the subject of an invasion of illegal aliens, and, today, the British government announced immigration reform, much tougher immigration controls. The crackdown targets low- skilled immigrants who take jobs in Britain and who falsely claim political asylum.

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TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Public concern about this is very simple. It's a play-by-the-rules concern. It's a concern that people, for example, who come in to claim asylum should be genuine refugees. The people who come in to work or study here should genuinely be coming in to work or study. And, therefore, what you need in place are strict controls that work in the interest of the country that mean that only people who play by the rules come in and those that don't, don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: Uh-oh. Illegal means illegal, at least in the United Kingdom. The British government says only skilled workers who can support themselves financially and speak English will now be allowed to remain in Britain permanently.

A surprising new study for parents tonight. Research shows sweet drinks, including fruit juice, may be causing your children to become obese. The study was completed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it clearly shows pudgy 3- and 4-year-olds drinking something sweet once or twice a day double their risk of becoming seriously overweight. Those sweet drinks had little effect on children of normal weight. Nutritionists say, although fruit juice has vitamins, fresh fruit, whole fruit, is far, far better.

Coming up next, why one of this country's most vocal and consistent critics says he wants a new relationship with the United States of America.

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