Written by Greg Moran
Shawn Moran joined the U.S. Border Patrol as a fresh-out-of-college 22 year old in 1997. He has spent his entire career on the southwest border, assigned to the San Diego sector. Moran is currently a vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents some 17,000 agents across the country.
Apprehensions of illegal immigrants along the southwest order — which includes California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas — have been plummeting in recent years, from more than 1 million in 2000 to 447,731 in 2010. Apprehensions for 2011 are expected to be at their lowest level since 1972.
Yet illegal immigration remains a charged topic, and Moran said the work of the Border Patrol is far from over. The federal budget deficit also looms over the Border Patrol, which has doubled in size over the past decade.
Question: Apprehensions of illegal immigrants are at an all-time low. What do you attribute that to?
Answer: I think the biggest factor is the economy. Americans can’t find jobs and the illegal aliens in this country can’t find jobs. That’s the biggest factor, but I also think the layers of bureaucracy the administration is putting between Border patrol agents and actually going after criminals is contributing to that.
(There are a) couple of different factors with that. They’re trying to attack pay of Border Patrol agents. So if they can say there is not as much work for Border Patrol agents, it makes the argument a lot easier for them.
And also they want some type of guest worker programs or amnesty, and if we can say “The numbers are down,” it makes it an easier push.
I still contend there is plenty of work for Border Patrol agents on the northern border, southern border, the coast. There are so many illegal aliens in this country, but we refuse to go after them once they have gotten past the immediate border area.
Q: Apprehensions are down, fortification of the border is up. Yet it seems like the job is more dangerous, with the killings of agents Robert Rosas and Luis Aguilar here in San Diego sector and Brian Terry in Arizona.
Does that reflect that more hardened criminal gangs are involved in human smuggling?
A: I think we’re seeing a more hard core element. I think partly to blame the U.S. government because we haven’t had a swift and forceful response when Border Patrol or ICE agents have been targeted and killed. We need to be forceful. ... The sad thing is BP agents see themselves as expendable because that is how they’re treated by the agency and other agencies. If you take a swing at any cop in any town in America you are going to have a charge placed against you. You can swing at a Border Patrol agent 365 days a year, and most likely the U.S. Attorney is not going to authorize prosecution.
Q: Why is that?
A: It’s just the case load, I understand this is a busy district. But you have to send a message. The people that are enforcing your laws, you can’t sit there and assault them.
Note: Greg and Shawn Moran are not related.
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