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kieblera5
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
859 Posts |
 Posted - 04/16/2009 : 09:24:09
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Seems the term is popular now that Obama is in office.
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EL PASO, Texas – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano named a former federal prosecutor Wednesday to the new post of "border czar" to oversee efforts to end drug-cartel violence along the U.S.-Mexico border and slow the tide of people crossing illegally into the United States.
Napolitano named Alan Bersin, a former Justice Department official who was charged with cracking down on illegal immigration in the 1990s, to fill the post at the Homeland Security Department.
"Alan brings years of vital experience with local, state and international partners to help us meet the challenges we face at our borders," Napolitano said in a statement. "He will lead the effort to make our borders safe while working to promote commerce and trade."
Napolitano was to hold a news conference introducing Bersin on a bridge over the Rio Grande linking El Paso with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a city plagued by violence among drug cartels and Mexican authorities that has killed more than 10,650 people since December 2006.
The Obama administration has promised to target border violence and work with Mexican authorities to curb drugs and arms trafficking. Hundreds of federal agents, along with high-tech surveillance gear and drug-sniffing dogs, are being deployed to the Southwest.
Two weeks ago, Napolitano traveled to San Diego, Mexico and Laredo, Texas, to meet with officials about border enforcement and curbing violence spurred by warring Mexican drug cartels. Last year, customs officials apprehended 792,321 people who tried to get into the U.S. through the Southwest border, and immigration officials removed more than 369,000, according to Homeland Security statistics.
After announcing Bersin's appointment on the Texas-Mexico border, Napolitano was scheduled to tour ports of entry in Columbus, N.M. and Nogales, Ariz. While there, she was to meet with local officials and discuss coordinating efforts to disrupt illegal smuggling and reduce illegal immigration.
Later, she was set to join President Barack Obama in Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
In his new capacity at Homeland Security, Bersin will work with international officials and their counterparts in the U.S. and border states.
From 1993 to 1998, Bersin was the federal prosecutor who led the government's crackdown on illegal immigrants at the California-Mexico border. Bersin and Napolitano were both U.S. attorneys during the Clinton administration.
During his final three years, Bersin doubled as the Southwest border representative for the attorney general. Under his watch, the U.S. rolled out Operation Gatekeeper, a massive increase in border enforcement in the San Diego area.
Most recently, Bersin was chairman of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. He also served under California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as education secretary.
"President Obama could not have selected a more qualified, more experienced person to join his administration — especially when it comes to issues along our southwest border," Schwarzenegger said Tuesday night in a statement.
Earlier, Bersin was the superintendent of San Diego public schools. At the time, Hispanic groups decried the appointment and said Operation Gatekeeper caused a steep increase in deaths by forcing immigrants to attempt treacherous mountain and desert crossings into the United States.
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Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least.
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you mercilessly with experience.
Caller number seven gets the Peace Prize!
Get coding tips, tricks, and more at: http://codingmonday.blogspot.com |
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Lemon Thrower
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1588 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 11:21:18
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is this to keep the bad guys out or the good guys in?
another Berlin wall? |
Buying:
Peace/Morgan G+ at $15.00
copper cents at 1.3X
wheat pennies at 3X
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Gresham
Penny Pincher Member
184 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 21:44:20
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| I have that feeling about the Berlin Wall too. In some ways it already exists. Remember the expatrate taxes? The other thing that bothers me is that this stuff seams to have a life of its own, no matter who is in charge, the same people run things. |
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keys
Penny Collector Member
383 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2009 : 15:44:20
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| If this US Border Czar is as effective as the last US Drug Czar the drug traffickers have nothing to worry about (the US Drug Czar sure stamped out the use of drugs completely in the US, right?) |
I change with the times-
but like silver coins found in your change
I stay the same.
*****************
The United States of America started out as the new Republic of Rome.
Will The United States of America end up as the New Imperial Rome? |
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fb101
Administrator
USA
2856 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2009 : 16:26:39
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| The idea of a border czar is to pay off some crony while avoiding having to have him be approved by congress, and with any luck, the illegalities in history or ties to whomever won't be discovered. |
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Delawhere Jack
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1680 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 17:52:21
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This will be the equivalent of the greeter at Wal-Mart. His minions will probably be dispersed to hand out applications for WIC, welfare, SSI, lists of hospitals to go to for free care, instructions to apply for section 8 housing, etc.... Oh, and voter registration cards, and ACLU business cards.
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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson
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Edited by - Delawhere Jack on 04/20/2009 17:59:07 |
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US names "border czar"
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