STRENGTHEN ENFORCEMENT MARSHALS SERVICE NEEDS MORE RESOURCES

U.S. Marshals Service personnel and resources are stretched too thinly
in the Western District of Texas -- particularly El Paso. That
compromises safety, and it cannot continue.

Since 1994, the number of federal criminal cases in the El Paso
division of the district has more than quadrupled. The El Paso
division has 1,172 prisoners -- more than any other division in the
Western District.

In the midst of this flood of federal prisoners and cases stand the
marshals, protecting prisoner custody, protecting judges and witnesses
and tracking down fugitives.

The increasing emphasis on border crime, mainly drug-related and
illegal immigration violations, is putting more pressure on the prison
system, the court system -- and the U.S. Marshals, who haven't seen
personnel and equipment increases such as are enjoyed by the Border
Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and
Naturalization Service and others.

That's not fair, and it endangers the public safety, the safety of
those under the marshals' protection, and the safety of the marshals
themselves. As the battle against border crime swells, federal
marshals should be afforded necessary resources.