Friday, March 22, 2013

Rand Paul Calls for Aggressive Border Surveillance

In his new column for the Washington Times, Rand Paul writes:
[...]I have some specific proposals that I believe must be met before conservatives can support immigration reforms.

First ensure operational control of our border. This will mean more boots on the ground, more surveillance and more equipment along our border. It need not mean a physical fence, but in some cases that works best, for instance near high population areas. In other areas a virtual or electronic “fence” may work best. In still others, electronic surveillance may be sufficient.

The securing of our border must contain specific and definable goals. These metrics have been under development for years by the Department of Homeland Security. It is time to implement them. Among the many are: surveillance of the border, fence crossings, numbers caught and released from ICE courts.

There would be border-crossing data gathered by motion sensors; cameras; fence cuttings (when there is physical evidence a person has crossed a fenced portion of border); observational data from Border Patrol and state/local law enforcement; drug and contraband seizures; logging and tracking the frequency of repeat border offenders; visa overstays; tracking of when people cross out of the United States over land (which we do not currently do).
This is Ron Paul on the border:

The people that want big fences and guns, sure, we could secure the border. A barbed wire fence with machine guns, that would do the trick. I don’t believe that is what America is all about [...]
I think this fence business is designed and may well be used against us and keep us in. In economic turmoil, the people want to leave with their capital and there’s capital controls and there’s people controls. Every time you think about the fence, think about the fences being used against us, keeping us in.
 

3 comments:

  1. Seems Ron doesn't entirely agree with you Wenzel, he agrees with Rand that the borders should be secure:

    “A nation without borders is no nation at all. It doesn’t make sense to fight terrorists abroad while leaving our front door unlocked.” - Ron Paul

    "While the federal government neglects its constitutional responsibility to protect our borders, it continues to push mandates to provide free education and medical care to illegal immigrants
    at a time when the states are drowning in debt.” - Ron Paul

    "Why don't we take those resources [in Afghanistan] and stop trying to pretend we can protect
    those borders and put them on our borders and take care of our needs here" - Ron Paul

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  2. More border security will simply mean more of a police state and more intrusion into the few miniscule rights that we have left.

    How much longer can this insanity last without serious resistance to fundamentally bad and seriously flawed ideas.

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  3. The best way to protect the US from being invaded by people who would destroy the country is to put a wall around Washington DC.

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