Distinction without Difference

MEXICO CITY - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Friday that immigration reform would let U.S. law enforcement focus on catching criminals instead of migrants seeking better economic prospects.

You really gotta hand it to Chertoff. When he shovels it, he uses a snowplow. I think it's precious that he made this remark in Mexico City. While parsing words, he forgets that everyone who enters the U.S. illegally is--by definition--a criminal. As for "migrants," what number is acceptable? Ten million? Fifty million? Five hundred? A billion? At what point do we draw the line and say: "We cannot save the entire world from its stupidity, nor do we have any such obligation. We do, however, have a duty to protect ourselves and enforce the laws of this country, for its preservation."

The 6,000 National Guard troops providing logistical support to the Border Patrol since May have dramatically deterred people from crossing the 2,000-mile frontier, he said. Arrests along the border are down, and fewer people have been seen gathering to cross on the Mexican side.

Perhaps the presence of National Guard troops hamstrung by mountains of bureaucratic buffoonery has a positive effect. I'm skeptical, but it's possible. Decreased arrests, on the other hand, prove nothing more than Chertoff's efficacy in spewing propaganda. We're not told if the decrease is due to a lack of border jumpers crossing over, or halfhearted enforcement. Without further elaboration from him on this point, it's nothing more or less than twaddle.

"Every time a Border Patrol officer is transporting a load of future housekeepers and landscapers to someplace to be returned, he's not looking for drug dealers or drug loads," Chertoff said.

Translation from B.S. into the vernacular: "Illegal immigration is 100% beneficial--and never detrimental to U.S. citizens--unless the illegal immigrant-in-question is a drug dealer, rapist, or murderer. We'll concede that's a slight problem."

It's nonsense for another reason, as well. Our government's attempts at hampering Border Patrol efforts belies his words, as the case of Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos illustrates, reported upon copiously by WorldNetDaily. Their situation reveals that the federal government looks upon pursuing illegal-alien drug smugglers with disfavor, nor does it have patience with agents shooting criminals they believe are armed. I urge anyone unfamiliar with this case to drop by WND and become educated on how our "leaders'" interest in securing our borders or apprehending invading criminals falls somewhere below absolute zero.