Kara Rowland and Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
8/13/2010
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Friday said the administration has “enough” resources to secure the border now that President Obama signed into law a $600 million border security spending bill, and she said Congress must now act on a larger overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.
“This is what we asked for. And of course, what we asked for was what we thought would be enough,” Ms. Napolitano told reporters at the White House, hours after she joined Mr. Obama as he signed the bipartisan bill.
The law provides for 1,000 new U.S. Border Patrol agents, hundreds of border inspectors and interior enforcement personnel and two new aerial drones to patrol the remote Southwest.
Although it will take about eight months for the new agents to be hired and trained, Ms. Napolitano said the border is already secure enough that it should not be used by critics to “preclude discussions about immigration reform.”
“Sometimes I hear ‘securing the border’ and the goalpost just keeps moving — well, we’ve done this,” Ms. Napolitano said, echoing statements by Mr. Obama that it’s now time for a comprehensive bill that would provide illegal immigrants a pathway to legalization.
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