Rounding up all illegals 'not realistic'

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The nation's border czar yesterday said it is "not realistic" to think that law-enforcement authorities can arrest or deport the millions of illegal aliens now in the United States and does not think the American public has the "will ... to uproot" those aliens.

Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson also said taxpayers "might be afraid" to learn how much it would take in manpower and resources to control the nation's borders and described as "probably accurate" a statement that no law-enforcement officials are looking for the vast majority of the 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens thought to be in the country.

"It's not realistic to say we're going to reduce that number," Mr. Hutchinson said during a luncheon meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times. "We don't set goals like that. Our goal is to enforce the law as we see violations of the law.

"But I don't think America has the will," he added. "I think they have too much compassion to tell our law-enforcement people to go out there and uproot those 8 million here -- some of whom might have been here 8 or 12 years, who got kids here that are American citizens -- and to send them out of the country."Mr. Hutchinson, who leads the nation's border and transportation security agencies, said although securing the nation's borders against terrorists, illegal aliens, smugglers and others who pose a threat is his top priority, the department is attempting to do so by laying "a foundation" for a strategy that can be "reasonably considered."

He said there is widespread disagreement within the country on what to do about immigration enforcement and on how to handle the millions of illegal aliens, mostly Mexican nationals, in the United States.

"I don't know that we've arrived at a consensus and, sure, that makes a difference," he said. "You can define that as political will. You also can describe it in terms of whether we've debated it sufficiently and drawn our thoughts together."

Mr. Hutchinson, who said he did not know how many illegal aliens entered the country annually, said the goal of his department is to gain operational control of the border, which includes monitoring the ports of entry and the land areas between and responding in an effective manner.

"It doesn't mean we build an Israel-type of fence. I don't think we're going to do that. I don't think you want to have a strategy of a Border Patrol agent every 50 yards," he said. "There's a lot of compassion out there. You don't send out a paddy wagon to round them up."

Most Americans adamantly oppose increasing the amount of legal immigration to the United States and legalizing those immigrants here illegally. On no other foreign-policy issue do average Americans disagree more with government and business leaders and other "elites" than on immigration.

But Mr. Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman from Arkansas, said although there is "strong support" nationwide for the enforcement of immigration laws and the public expects it to be accomplished, "they expect us to do it in a way consistent with our values."