HOUSE TOLD CRIMINALS SWELLING ALIEN TIDE

Most of the people who sneak across the border are no longer good
people in search of honest work, the sheriff of a border county in
Texas told a House subcommittee yesterday, but rather criminals who
belong to gangs and drug cartels.

"For years we have seen individuals enter the country illegally,"
said Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr., sheriff of Zapata County. "However,
recently we feel that many of these persons are no longer entering
the country to look for legitimate employment. We are now seeing that
many of these persons are members of ruthless and violent gangs."

Sheriff Gonzalez's testimony before the House International Relations
subcommittee was part of a series of "field hearings" held across the
country to gauge voter opinion on reforming the nation's immigration
laws. Yesterday's hearing was held in Laredo, in Zapata County.

"Some areas can accurately be described as a war zone," panel
Chairman Ed Royce, California Republican, told The Washington Times
after touring the border near Laredo.

Sheriff Gonzalez told members of the subcommittee that the number of
illegal aliens from places other than Mexico -- including countries
on terrorist watch lists -- caught crossing the border has more than
quintupled in the past four years. Increasingly, he said, they try
blending in to look like Mexicans crossing the border in search of honest work.

With more than 165,000 illegal aliens caught in fiscal 2005, Sheriff
Gonzalez said, he can only imagine how many succeed in getting across.

"I dare to say that at any given time, daytime or nighttime, one can
get on a boat and traverse back and forth between Texas and Mexico
and not get caught," he said. "If smugglers can bring in tons of
marijuana and cocaine at one time and can smuggle 20-30 persons at
one time, one can just imagine how easy it would be to bring in two
to three terrorists or their weapons of mass destruction across the
river and not be detected."

Reynaldo M. Garza, acting chief patrol agent for the Laredo Sector,
also told members of the subcommittee that the number of violent
incidents at points of entry to the U.S. have increased dramatically
in recent years.

The testimony comes as Congress tries to work out a compromise
between House and Senate versions of immigration reform legislation.

House Republicans want to secure the border first and deal with
thorny issues such as a guest-worker program after the borders have
been bolstered. Senate Democrats, along with key Republicans such as
Majority Leader Bill Frist, want a bill that handles all aspects of
immigration reform at the same time.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, Texas Democrat, said the hearings were about
politics, not policy.

"Congress needs to get back to work in Washington to reach a
compromise agreement on comprehensive border security and immigration
reform legislation," Mr. Reyes said.

The audience in Laredo was full of activists on both sides of the issue.

Rep. Ted Poe, Texas Republican, said to cheers that if the U.S. is
protecting the borders of other nations, it should also be protecting its own.

"It's a national security issue to protect our borders from those who
wish to do us harm," he said.

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, Texas Democratic, said the proceedings were a
"false promise."

"This hearing will do nothing to secure our borders," he said.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.