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Former Border Patrol chiefs and agents on Monday ripped the Senate's immigration bill as being unrealistic and technologically unfeasible, and instead offered a six-part plan for increasing border security, removing illegal immigrants and overhauling the immigration system.

Members of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers variously called the Senate immigration bill "a slap in the face," "a recipe for disaster," "a bureaucratic shell game" and "the al-Qaida dream bill." Kent Lundgren, the association's chairman, said, "Our experience tells us that this bill is insultingly, unforgivingly bad."

Hugh Brien, a former Border Patrol chief under President Reagan, added: "The current Senate bill ... is a travesty in my opinion. It's a sellout in my view. It's a complete betrayal of the nation."

They charged that technology is not capable of doing background checks and processing fingerprint scans in the timelines laid out in the bill.

"There will be no meaningful criminal or terrorist record checks of the applicants," Lundgren said. "Despite what the administration and Congress say about record checks to ease the voter's mind, they are lying about it ... Yes, technology has improved and fingerprint checks can now be done online, but there is more to a criminal record check than a fingerprint check and even with technology, it can't be done as quickly as they're calling for it to be done."

They also argued that the Homeland Security Department will not have adequate staff to vet applicants for work visas. And they said the Border Patrol will not be able to hire, train and deploy 6,000 new agents within 18 months.

The Border Patrol will also have to account for attrition in its ranks, which means at least another 2,000 agents will need to be hired, they added. In addition, they said there is no indication that Congress will allocate the money needed to carry out the bill's provisions.

The association's six-point plan says illegal immigrants must be compelled to leave the United States through "firm and relentless pressure on all aspects of their lives." The group said it is not calling for illegal immigrants to be deported in mass. Rather, the plan assumes that illegal immigrants will mostly leave voluntarily if they are denied work, social services and education and forced to undergo identity checks.

The plan also calls for increased border security, no amnesty, stiff penalties against employers who hire undocumented workers, and training and job relocation for legal U.S. workers.

COMMENTS

• I know an illegal and he's claiming to be a Puerto Rican. He bought a social security number (card) that was originated in Puerto Rico, yet he is actually a citizen of Columbia. His Visa ran out five years ago and he thinks his girlfriend can sponsor him for US citizenship. What he doesn't know is citizens of Puerto Rico and already US Citizens, nor does he know that PR's don't need Visa's to come into the States. It's only a matter of time before he gets caught. He's never files for federal or State taxes. Even though he's paid into the system. He can't file because he's using the persons name (not his birth name)on the social security card he illegally purchased for $500.00. The most powerful country in the world and our government can't keep track of the millions of illegals. Yet both UPS and Fedex can track one million plus packages daily to all over the world. This is what is turning the United States into a Third World Country. Stephen Posted June 2, 2008 6:24 PM
• Illegal immigrents already had a chance to become citizens once before.They chose not to.Send them back and let them come here like people from other countrys do. Also the Iternal Revenue Service gives illegal immigrent A nine diget Independent taxpayers identification number.With this you can buy a home,business and anything an illegal needs.There are a bunch in Lowell,Massachusetts doing just this. Olie Posted June 28, 2007 10:11 PM
• You can't survive in the US without a Social Security Number and a Drivers Licence. If you want to know the level of commitment on this issue all you have to look at is the number of ways government officials support a slave / underground economy by not cutting off these keys to our social and economic systems. Wayne E. Burke Posted June 19, 2007 11:38 AM