Hearing Details An Unsecured Border~Tony Martinez Worries About Brownsville's Image

Tiffany Hartley, widow of David Hartley with valley rancher

     The hearing about border security at the UTB/TSC Arts Center was sort of the republican version of the Fort Brown Clubhouse meeting sponsored by State Senator Lucio.  Not  quite.  Lucio's meeting on Saturday dealt with the effect of the border wall on the community, especially those living between the wall and the river.  Monday's hearing focused strictly on border security.
     Congressman Ted Poe, along with Blake Farenthold listened to panelists with varied expertise, all related to border security.  Frequently, the real enlightenment came from the followup questions from the two lawmakers.  After Janice Ayala, representing Homeland Security finished her prepared statement, including what her department had done to stop the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico, Poe asked her about the 2,000 automatic weapons our own government had sent into Mexico under a program called "Operation Fast and Furious."  Poe wanted to know if anyone had been prosecuted for that exercize in stupidity, with 1,400 of those weapons still unaccounted for likely in the hands of cartel members.   Ayala did not know.  Farenthold wanted to know if any such government gun-running operations were still ongoing.   Ayala said "not to my knowledge."  Farenthold also asked the percentage of the U.S./Mexico border the U.S. actually controls, a frequent topic of this forum.  Ayala was not sure.  She also did not have an opinion on the 4,000 SSP officers trained in Mexico.
     Mayor Tony Martinez gave a brief statement, emphasizing that "Brownsville is safe.  You can walk any street in our city and feel perfectly safe."  He credited Police Chief Garcia and the Brownsville Police Department for controlling crime in the city.   The mayor's comments drew a smattering of applause.  Of course, it's not unusual for officials to be concerned about the perception of their city as it affects tourism.  The mayor of Matamoros would likely speak similarly.
     Tiffany Hartley, whose husband David was killed on Falcon Lake a year ago, detailed their experience.  Sheriff Sigi Gonzalez, sitting next to her, added some key information.  He said the murderers chased Lisa nearly a mile and a half into U.S. waters.  He added that the cartels have much faster boats now than the slow ones who couldn't catch Lisa's jet ski.  The Hartley case remains open, sitting on the top of his desk.  Sheriff Gonzalez also mentioned helicopter incursions over U.S. soil.  When he mentions this to federal officials they hint at some secret joint mission between the two countries, but his office is never notifed before hand.  He's had citizens in his county ask if "they should shoot the damn things down."
     One of the largest costs of illegal immigration is the housing, feeding and care of thousands of the undocumented incarcerated in state and county institutions.  Congressman Poe routinely polls the institutions in his district, finding that typically a third of the prison population are undocumented.  In counties along the border, it is closer to half.
     T.J. Bonner, a retired Border Patrol official expressed his own personal thoughts.  By his definition zero percent of the border is under control.  He said the cartels have enough money to corrupt every segment of the Mexican government, making it difficult to trust or work with them.  He stated the obvious, that U.S. troops couldn't be deployed, but hoped that the U.S. could consider air strikes, stating:  " We know where the cartels are."
     Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos referred to a 2008 border study he helped prepare.  He said the border would never be secure until the consumer demand for drugs was curtailed.