Let's Not be Satisfied with Paperwork Police

How about we create a police agency that goes after crime at our southern border?

Yes, I know we have the border patrol, various agents running around enforcing immigration. But, no, we do not have an agency properly empowered to fight the crime pouring into our nation from abroad.

Not at all.

Let's revamp the border patrol, giving officers authority to do a little more than to simply seek out those without paperwork.

Let's give them authority to not just chase immigrants, but criminals. Now, to do this, we are going to need an agreement with Mexico, for we will want to send our officers right down into Mexico. If you are going to fight crime, you have to be able to apprehend the criminal -- and Mexico is where they are at. We currently haven't a system, and haven't a police force capable of doing much of that. The drugs are being raised south of the border. The drug lords presiding over the operations are south of the border. The whole process is being directed from south of the border.

And, we are stuck on the other side, chasing people without paperwork.

However do you expect to fight them, to arrest them, to bring them to justice if you don't go down and get them?

We have agents empowered to do little more than to stop people trying to enter the U.S. without proper paperwork. That is not a whole lot of heavy-hitting crime you are giving them authority to go after. Create a paperwork police and expect it to deal with a major crime problem . . . and don't be surprised if you come up a little short.

How about passing a new set of laws? One could say if a person (even if living in another country) recruits another person to take drugs across the border, that is a crime. Another would say if a person living in another country directs drugs into the U.S., that is a crime. Another would say if a drug is raised in a foreign country with the possibility of being brought into the U.S., that is a crime.

These laws will need agreements with other countries, giving us permission to go in after criminals on their soil. That's fine. Let's get those agreements. Let's get that permission.

And, let's create a real crime-fighting solution at the border. Let's not be satisfied with just going after people who don't have their paperwork.