Immigration Roundtable

Date:	08-02-10
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Frosty Wooldridge, Jerome Corsi, Douglas Hagmann, Ron Barber

In this special four hour program, a panel of experts discussed the increasing problem of illegal immigration in the United States. Journalist and teacher Frosty Wooldridge, and author Jerome Corsi appeared for the entire show, while journalist Ron Barber, Jim Gilchrist of the Minuteman Project, and security analyst Douglas Hagmann dropped in for shorter segments. While Wooldridge outlined how the massive illegal immigration numbers-- over 2 million people entering the US per year-- were putting a strain on natural resources and jobs, Corsi expressed concerns that open borders serve as invitations to terrorists, criminals, and drug cartels.

"Drugs are the Microsoft of Mexico," and this trade has infiltrated into the United States at a massive rate, with many of the illegal immigrants involved in it, said Barber. The War on Drugs has been a huge failure, and has been funding terrorists around the world, Wooldridge commented, adding that he favors legalization of drugs using the European model. Pres. Obama's plan to send 1,200 troops to the border is "peanuts," said Gilchrest, who suggested 12,000 troops and more funding to protect the borders were needed. Wooldridge argued for an even higher number of troops-- 50,000, stationed from Brownsville to San Diego, to really seal off the borders, as well as methodically going after employers who hire illegals. If they didn't have jobs, we'd start to see a mass exodus of foreigners leaving the U.S., without the need to deport them, he suggested.

Hagmann characterized the border situation as a national security risk. From a law enforcement perspective, while the majority of illegal immigrants are not causing trouble, "the fact is they are already criminals by being in this country illegally," he noted. 18 different states are considering immigration laws like Arizona has passed, though after Judge Bolton's ruling about the constitutionality of certain provisions of the law, they are reconfiguring them slightly, Wooldridge reported.