Jeff Flake | Congressman Arizona’s Sixth District

Mesa, Arizona , Apr 1, 2011 - I’ve never been one to shy away from lost causes.  Over the years, some of my so-called lost causes, like earmark reform, have even become cause célèbres.  It just takes a little persistence and a lot of patience.  However, border security is an issue too important to Arizona for us to continue to insist on tying it to immigration reforms that may not come for years, if at all.

          I’ve long felt that the best way to secure our southern border is to increase border security while creating a legal framework for foreign workers to work in the U.S. and return home.  While there are already a number of worker visa programs in operation, these programs are insufficient to meet the demand for workers, particularly when the U.S. economy is thriving.  With a temporary worker program in place that would more closely mirror market conditions, the argument goes, it would be easier for U.S. security forces to focus on the more nefarious elements crossing the border, the “drugs and thugs.”

          I’ve tried over many years to pass legislation to this effect.  Such attempts, combined with increased border security and interior enforcement measures, have been met with failure, time and time again.  Many of us at the federal level now concede that the comprehensive road is a dead end.  The political will does not exist, nor is it likely to be generated in the near future, to implement comprehensive immigration reform.  Given the current administration’s inexplicable insistence that the border is more secure than ever, Arizonans are justifiably skeptical that any border security component would be given sufficient attention under a comprehensive approach.

          Part of reason for the mistrust of the federal government’s ability to manage comprehensive reform is that the nature of immigration across the southern border has changed.  In years past, groups of illegal aliens crossing the border tied to human smuggling or drug cartels were the exception to the rule. Today, such ties are the rule.  The vast majority of illegal border crossers now have paid to be smuggled across, and an increasing number of these crossers are carrying drugs to subsidize the cost of their passage.

          Over the past months, I’ve had numerous meetings with ranchers along the southern border.  They report an increasing number of illegal aliens crossing their property carrying drugs, with many of these groups under the protection of armed guards.  Imagine seeing armed guards escorting drug runners across your private property.  The tragic murder of Rob Krentz demonstrates the new reality.

          The ranchers’ plea?  Don’t hold increased border security hostage to the stalled movement on comprehensive reform.  Rather, put the federal government’s focus on securing the border and then move on to the other elements of immigration reform.  In other words, fix the broken faucet before bailing out the basement.

          I agree with that argument.  Make no mistake, once we secure the border (i.e., make the Tucson Sector look more like the Yuma Sector) we still face considerable immigration challenges.  Like the fact that a significant percentage of the illegal population in the United States didn’t sneak across the border in the first place – they entered legally and have overstayed their visas.  But such fixes will have to wait until the border is secured.