Agents believe Guest Worker law is really amnesty

How will homeland security know who is a criminal and who is not? Border cops say no way

A leaked video of a debate between Border Patrol agents and recently promoted Deputy Customs Commissioner David Aguilar deals largely with the controversial “Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act” (H.R. 98).

Originally introduced in 2005, sponsored by Congressman David Dreier, a key supporter of NAFTA and other so-called “free trade” agreements, the bill has been introduced in every Congress since. But it still has not passed.



According to supporters of the legislation, it would reduce employment of illegal immigrants by introducing new security features on Social Security cards and forcing employers to verify the eligibility of prospective employees to legally work in America. It would also add 10,000 Homeland Security personnel responsible for enforcement while increasing penalties for hiring illegal workers - fines of up to $50,000 and jail sentences of up to five years.



But critics, including the border agents heard throughout the video, believe that the bill is seriously flawed - especially as it relates to the so-called guest-worker program. In the leaked footage, for example, the 1986 amnesty law which legalized millions of illegal immigrants was also a hot topic. Despite assurances, it failed to stem the flow of people crossing the border.



“They use such bills so they can then claim that, since everything is secure, now they need ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform,’” LNN’s Ramirez, who has testified before Congress about border-security issues, told The New American. “The reality is that such bills are fools gold as we've learned over the years and are nothing more than a gateway to amnesty.”



After showing part of the video, obtained from a source within the Border Patrol who must remain anonymous for obvious reasons, Ramirez offered his analysis. “You got to wonder, does this lead to amnesty?” he asked, referring to H.R. 98. “Here’s the problem: Nobody is enforcing illegal immigration - enforcement is not being done.”



Ramirez also noted that the Department of Homeland Security was still seeking ways to bypass Congress and grant amnesty to illegal immigrants already in the country. “So you have all this non-sense happening, and the laws aren’t being enforced - that’s the problem,” Ramirez explained.



“Rather than creating more bills that 'do something,' how about just letting the agents get out there and do what they’re trained to do?” Ramirez suggested. Taking “the handcuffs off the Border Patrol” and easing fears among agents that they could be prosecuted for doing their jobs - not more flawed legislation - would lead to a more secure border, he concluded.
Watch Ramirez’ report and the leaked video footage below: