Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Dear Friends:

This year, Congress had one important job before them: enacting comprehensive immigration reform.  To date, they have failed.  While they spent the summer orchestrating sham hearings, we need to use the fall and winter to keep the pressure on Congress to act, and the resources needed to combat immigration-related crime. 

We continue to do our part at the state level by providing Arizona National Guard to our Border, combating the crimes underlying the human smuggling trade, and seizing the assets of drug and human smuggling rings.

More Funding for DPS

In the last four years, we have increased the Department of Public Safety budget by 62%, adding more highway patrol officers and anti-gang personnel and focusing on seizing the assets of drug and human smuggling rings. 

Combating Violent Human Smuggling Gangs

Additionally, we are working with local law enforcement in border counties like Cochise to create a multi-agency, anti-gang task force (known as GITEM) that specialize in dismantling criminal organizations that make their living off border-related crime. Within the next six weeks, we will have 31 more officers added to these units statewide and a total of 41 new GITEM members by the end of the year. 

Federal Intelligence Sharing

Earlier this week, Ambassador Thomas McNamara, of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence joined me in briefings and a tour of our Arizona Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center (ACTIC), which combines federal, state and local intelligence data, analysts, and investigations into one center.  The creation of ACTIC was one of my first homeland security goals as Governor. McNamara concluded that ACTIC is "a prime example of what we want to see develop in every state in the union."  

Border Law Enforcement Funding

Arizona will receive $6.35 million in federal "Operation Stonegarden" funding, the largest amount of any state, to reimburse local law enforcement in assisting the Border Patrol in immigration-related crimes in our border counties.   Last month, I personally urged Secretary Chertoff to release these critical funds and I greatly appreciate his cooperation.  

"Operation Document Fraud"

On September 13, the Fraudulent Identification Taskforce announced the results of a 12-week investigation. During "Operation Document Fraud" undercover officers were able to purchase permanent resident cards and social security cards and numbers in other people's names, but in the names of 4 people on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Terrorist List, including one terrorist who had been confirmed as dead a month before the ID was purchased.  In just over a year, the Taskforce has confiscated more than 1,200 fraudulent documents, seized $1.4 million and 73 vehicles, and charged more than 160 defendants. 

We continue to do our part by working with local communities each and every day to ensure they have the resources they need to combat crime associated with illegal immigration, and at the same time, pressure the federal government to step up to the plate and do their part.  Once again, we urge Congress to roll up their sleeves and get to work on immigration reform - reform that is tough but realistic.