April
28, 2008
Governors of California, Arizona and New Mexico Urge Extension of Operation Jump Start
· National Guard and Border Patrol success in the enforcement of border
security can be seen in the reduction in the number of illegal border crossings, and the increased number of arrests for illegal
activities such as the smuggling of drugs, people and money
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
Majority
Leader
United
States Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
The
Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority
Leader
United
States Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
The
Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
of the House
U. S.
House of Representatives
Washington,
DC 20515
The
Honorable John A. Boehner
Minority
Leader
U. S.
House of Representatives
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
Governor
of California
Janet
Napolitano
Governor
of Arizona
Bill
Richardson
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
——————————
Governor’s
Press Office, State of California, Sacramento, California, April 22, 2008
