THE UNCLAIMED BORDER

When he was Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales made this droll
comment: "Washington doesn't believe that the United States has a
border problem. Washington believes that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and
California have a border problem."

Confirmation that Morales' words still hold true came this week in a
report that money to help border counties handle prosecution generated
by a federal crackdown on drugs and illegal immigration isn't getting
there. The problem evidently is a disagreement over how the money can
be spent.

While the U.S. Justice Department and the Congress point fingers at
each other, the poorest counties in Texas and the nation are stuck with
prosecutions arising from federal border arrests.

If the cases aren't considered big enough for the federal courts, they
are pushed off onto the local district attorneys. Because of the
financial strain imposed by the inherited cases, border prosecutors say
they won't take out the feds' trash after Oct. 1.

It is a dangerous situation all around. Instead of playing games with
peoples' lives, the Justice Department ought to give priority to
resolving this situation.

Not that the emergency cash is a comprehensive solution to a
complicated problem, but at least the money would mitigate the strain
that the prosecutions are putting on local taxing jurisdictions.

"They've just told us to forget it. You're not getting any help," said
frustrated U.S. District Judge Royal Ferguson of Midland.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, has promised to cut through
the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and make something happen. And Texas
Attorney General John Cornyn is rounding up border colleagues and
urging help now.

Here's hoping that they can get somebody at Justice to pay attention --
or at least acknowledge that Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona
have been admitted to the union.