04/22/2008 GAAS:196:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Governors of California, Arizona and New Mexico Urge Extension of Operation Jump Start
Following Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's
letter to President Bush in February calling on him to extend Operation Jump
Start, today Gov. Schwarzenegger, Arizona Governor Napolitano and New Mexico
Governor Richardson sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to
support an extension. The combined efforts of the Border Patrol and the
California National Guard have proven successful in reducing illegal border
crossings and limiting the influx of narcotics and human trafficking.
In February 2008, the Governor sent a letter to President
Bush insisting the program be extended. In June 2006, he issued General Order
Number 2006-01 directing the California National Guard to temporarily support
federal efforts to secure the US-Mexico border. Operation Jump Start is
scheduled to end in July 2008, but the operational objective is only half
complete: fewer than 3,000 of 6,000 new Border Patrol agents have been added to
the force.
Below is the full text of the letter:
April 22, 2008
The Honorable Harry Reid
The Honorable Nancy
Pelosi
Majority
Leader Speaker of the
House
United
States
Senate U. S.
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Mitch
McConnell The Honorable John A.
Boehner
Minority
Leader Minority
Leader
United
States
Senate U. S.
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, Madam Speaker, and
Mr. Boehner,
As Governors, we share a mutual interest with Congress
in protecting our region and the country from illegal criminal activity, such as
human and drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorism. While we applaud
the administration for the steps taken to secure our international border, we
are concerned that prematurely ending the highly successful Operation Jump Start
could reverse the success of this mission. Success can be seen in the reduction
in the number of illegal crossings and the increased number of arrests for
illegal activity such as the smuggling of drugs, people and
money.
Operation Jump Start should not be a placeholder for
comprehensive immigration reform. It is, however, a necessary and temporary
step in fulfilling the federal government's responsibility to secure our
country's borders. Some of the critical components of the operation have not
been fully realized. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, has not
yet recruited and trained enough agents to meet its mission objective of
doubling the number of agents along the southwest border. In addition, the
Department of Homeland Security recently announced another delay in the
implementation of the virtual fence along the southwest border. It is
irresponsible to phase out the current support of the National Guard without the
infrastructure and fulltime personnel to fill the gap.
Threats will continue to increase along our
international border, especially if adequate safeguards have not been put in
place. Therefore, we respectfully request that Congress extend and fully fund
Operation Jump Start at numbers necessary to maintain the hard-won improvements
in operational control of the border.
Your support for this mission will mean a strong
investment in the defense of our homeland, as well as the remarkable reduction
in the flow of drug and human trafficking, money laundering and organized
criminal activity. Thank you in advance, and please let us know if we may be of
any assistance as you move forward.
Sincerely,
Arnold
Schwarzenegger Janet Napolitano Bill
Richardson
Governor of California Governor of Arizona Governor
of New
Mexico
cc: The Honorable Robert C.
Byrd
The Honorable Thad
Cochran
The Honorable Daniel K.
Inouye
The Honorable Ted
Stevens
The Honorable Carl
Levin
The Honorable John
McCain
The Honorable David R.
Obey
The Honorable Jerry
Lewis
The Honorable John
Murtha
The Honorable C.W. Bill
Young
The Honorable Ike
Skelton
The Honorable Duncan
Hunter
