Senator introduces measure to tighten security

Her effort is in response to the Minuteman Project.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
WASHINGTON -- With complaints mounting about lax border controls, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison called Wednesday for giving local police the power to arrest illegal immigrants and for creation of a "border marshal" program to let local peace officers help patrol the border.
"Our borders have been hemorrhaging for too long. It is a national security and safety threat to our nation," said the Texas Republican, vice chairwoman of the Senate Republican Conference. "I just don't think we'll ever have enough Border Patrol agents."
The proposal is one of a slew of proposals around Congress to tighten borders, and like many of the others, this one drew swift denunciation from immigrant advocates, who warned that police aren't properly trained and have enough to do already.
Minuteman Project
Hutchison called her plan a direct response to the Minuteman Project, the controversial group that has sent hundreds of volunteers to deter illegal crossings in Arizona, Texas and other states, and "the Minutemen have shown that citizens are now really wanting to be helpful in patrolling borders."
But she added, it's "not safe" for untrained volunteers to take on those duties. Her bill would let Homeland Security Department create a "Volunteer Border Marshal" program involving police, sheriffs and other licensed peace officers. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was noncommittal about the idea during a 45-minute meeting in her office Wednesday, the senator said.
The bill would give cities and states the option to enforce and prosecute federal immigration laws.
Immigrant advocates warned that local authorities are more likely to injure or kill non-whites -- immigrant or citizen. And they predicted sweeps of construction sites and day-laborer pickup areas across the country, deterring immigrants from reporting crimes.
"They'll be easy victims. No one will protect them," said Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
He called the proposal a sign of an immigrant-bashing spiral.
"They're getting more and more aggressive, more and more outrageous in the proposals. It's like immigrants are all mass murderers," he said. " ... You could turn the whole country into a police state and that still won't solve the problem. People come here for jobs that are offered by American employers."
Pressure builds
Pressure has been building for tighter border controls.
Last month, Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, co-chairman of the Congressional Border Caucus, wrote President Bush urging immediate action to cope with a "state of emergency" along the border. All but one Texas Republican in the House co-signed the letter, along with half the Democrats.
"If you live in America and you're not worried about border security, you should be," Bonilla said Wednesday. "Senator Hutchison's legislation is a step in the right direction."
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said, "You always have to have partnerships. The more people you have working together, the better."
This summer, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, called for creation of an armed civilian "militia" to guard the borders. He said Wednesday he likes the Hutchison idea, though he'd prefer requiring local authorities to help enforce immigration laws.
And he plans to meet with border sheriffs next week to discuss their needs.
Culberson planned to file a bill Thursday to provide federal funds to help border sheriffs train and hire more uniformed deputies for border patrol purposes -- a "better approach" than militias, he said. "We need to use our local and state law enforcement resources to support the Border Patrol."