Head of INS Defends Agents, Assails Critics

Counterpunching forcefully against criticism that Border Patrol agents are too violent, the chief of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service told a congressional panel Wednesday that he is tired of immigrant rights groups making “ludicrous charges” and urged them to view such accusations more skeptically.

INS Commissioner Gene McNary, appearing before an oversight subcommittee for the second time in two weeks, was at times testy in his support of the Border Patrol, which has come under renewed criticism for a recent series of assaults and a fatal high-speed crash near the Temecula checkpoint.

“These critics keep coming in like the fog--some of them paid to say bad things about the Border Patrol,” McNary testified.

“If there’s one thing we need more than resources,” McNary told the subcommittee on international law, immigration and refugees, “it is a commitment (from Congress) to stand behind the Border Patrol . . . and against those critics who would render border enforcement ineffective.”

The Border Patrol has come under scrutiny after a spate of violent incidents. An agent was recently indicted on charges of assaulting a legal resident in San Diego; an agent in Nogales, Ariz., has been accused of murdering an illegal immigrant, and an agent in Calexico, Calif., was convicted of raping a documented Mexican worker.

In June, six people died in Temecula as the result of a high-speed chase started--but subsequently broken off--by Border Patrol agents.

The Border Patrol quickly moved to tighten its pursuit policy and has been put on the defensive about reports of abusive and irresponsible agents.

McNary said the Border Patrol has an exemplary record and praised its agents for their “discipline and devotion.”

Several Southern California congressmen, including Reps. Duncan L. Hunter (R-Coronado), Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) and Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-Chula Vista) also praised the Border Patrol for performing well under difficult circumstances and with limited resources.

They recommended more agents, better pay and more reliable equipment to maintain control of the troubled Mexican border, where the vast majority of the nation’s illegal immigration and smuggling occurs.

But other witnesses painted a darker picture.

Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente), while agreeing that the agency is understaffed and overworked, said, “The violation of human rights at our borders is of crisis proportions.

“I do not condone or excuse illegal entry into our country but violence and discrimination cannot be the weapons for enforcement and control of our border,” Torres said.

Maria Jimenez, director of the Immigration Law Enforcement Monitoring Project, has accused law enforcement agencies of persistent abuses--psychological, verbal and physical--at the Mexican border and in South Florida.

The Monitoring Project called for congressional hearings in the border areas and a civilian oversight board to handle the complaints.