Is building a Border Fence really the issue?...Or are we just being taken for a ride?

A headline in today's issue of The Monitor got me thinking.

It reads, "Border Security could go private". Uh-huh. Well for those of you who like to play connect the dots with issues, this headline should give you something to write home about.

In the midsts of an immigration debate which should re-convene next week, here comes a report that states, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection is asking the private sector to help secure America's borders". The report states that the Department began a bidding process for items such as "technology and surveillance". "Detection technology like fences and infrared cameras".

"fences and infrared cameras"....

Let's call this dot point A.

The immigration debate revolves around what the government should do to stop illegal immigrants and what to do with illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. It's a debate that is even cutting through party lines. Plans to solve the immigration dilemma includes actions that most critics deem as "amnesty" for those illegal immigrants already working in the United States. Other plans call for returning all illegal immgrants "post-haste" to their native countries. Tackling the issue of further illegal immgration, there are some Senators calling for the erection of a "fence" along the U.S./Mexico border.

The erection of a "fence" along the U.S./Mexico border.....

We'll call this dot point B.

If we take point A-"Border security could go private", and connect it with, here we go, dot, dot, dot, dot, to point B-some Senators calling for a Border fence, what do we get?

I could be wrong, but what I see is the convenient correlation between the Department of Customs and Border Patrol seeking private entities through a bidding practice to provide technological support including building a fence, AND some powerful Senators pushing an illegal immigration reform act which would include building a fence along our border with Mexico. We've all seen our fair share of "honest bidding practices" in the Vallley before, haven't we?

The thing is, and the thing that seems to be weighing on me regarding this issue, is that if policies and actions of our government are at times a direct result of lobbyists pouring big money into someone's pockets, it seems to me some Senators may be, maybe, looking for a little more than just tackling the issue of illegal immigration.

After all, if they were really worried about the influx of illegal immigration, one might think they'd have started tackling this issue before they have eleven or twelve million people on their hands, and are faced with a "now what" scenario. For the full report in The Monitor, go to www.themonitor.com