BORDER ENFORCEMENT....FINALLY

Based on these articles, I’d say that it’s sounding more like the Bush Administration is finally taking border security seriously. Here’s what Reuters is saying:

Elite U.S. Border Patrol units armed with assault rifles and stun grenades may be set to play a more prominent role as authorities gain greater control over the porous border with Mexico, border police say. Little known outside law enforcement circles, the Bortac tactical teams have been deployed to remote reaches of the border to hunt drug and human traffickers using out-of-the way routes since the 1980s.
The Bortac members wear full battle-dress uniforms and carry state-of-the-art night vision and thermal optics. They are armed with weapons including M4 assault rifles and “flash-bang” stun grenades developed for the special forces.

Based on the article, these teams sound like they’re as capable in performing their duties as a Navy SEAL is in performing their job.

In a bid to gain control over the Mexico border, President George W. Bush ordered 6,000 National Guard troops to help the Border Patrol guard the international line in May. Since then, apprehensions have fallen by more than 40 percent.

Fewer apprehensions are the direct result of fewer attempts being made, not because of the ineffectiveness of President Bush’s policies.

Here’s what the AP article said:

Nearly all non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught sneaking into the United States are being held until they can be returned to their home countries, the Bush Administration said Wednesday. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said this marks the end of the so-called “catch-and-release” policy that for years helped illegal immigrants remain in the United States unhindered.

I rejoiced when President Bush announced during a speech that catch-and-release was over. People criticized the President then for not doing enough. It appears his critics were wrong. People like Michelle Malkin rightly criticized the administration for not enforcing the borders and for their catch-and-release policy. That criticism should now fall silent because the administration is doing what their critics were asking them to do.