Ex-Border Patrol officers condemn immigration measure

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.