This morning C-SPAN’s "Washington Journal" included a pair of calls, one right after the other, expressing frustration with immigration-law enforcement at opposite ends of the country. The first came from a man who identified himself as Gil, a Border Patrol agent from Hebronville, Texas. The second came from Sam in Boston, who said he is a small contractor. Here is some of what they said.
Gil, a Border Patrol agent, on border security and the release of illegal aliens because of sequestration: "Everybody around the nation thinks the border is secure, and that’s just not correct. Anybody that lives In the south Texas region or anywhere on the southern border will tell you that that’s a complete lie. … Most of us [in the Border Patrol] really, really try very hard to do what we’re ordered to do. We do our job. We catch the people that we’re supposed to. We process them. And we feel like we’re — most of us feel like, what’s the point. Why are we going to go through all this trouble, all this paperwork, all these hard-earned hours to do our jobs, go out there and risk our life every day just for these people to just say, "Oh, you know what, these people aren’t violent; it’s okay, let’s just release them." It’s horrible. It’s a travesty. It makes no sense."
Sam, a contractor: "I’m a small contractor. And over the years, right, all the jobs around Boston are taken by Brazilians. And they’re putting other contractors — painters, carpenters, roofers — out of business. And I don’t blame them. I blame all the developers from small to big here. They’re hiring illegals to do their painting, their carpentry, their roofing, their siding. And now illegals also, they get wise enough to start their own companies. … Those companies, they hire illegals, knowing they hire illegals, should be heavily fined. Because you go up a little bit further north, up to New Hampshire, or you go to the inner city. There’s kids from both sides, from the north in New Hampshire down to the inner city, they have no work. These illegals are taking, definitely taking jobs from Americans. Especially in the construction business. Both parties know it. Republicans and Democrats know what’s going on. If they don’t know what’s going on, they don’t deserve to be in politics. It’s a crying shame."
