Our country has been over-run by illegal immigrants.  I think we just found out why - - the border patrol doesn't know it's still their job to stop it.  This is another horrific side-effect of 9-11.  The Border Patrol's mission has been at the center of debates within the agency since the September 11 attacks.  Carlos X. Carrillo, (pictured on right) Border Patrol chief of Laredo, Texas, one of the nation's most dangerous Southwest border crossings says the agency's mission doesn't include apprehending illegal aliens or seizing narcotics — perplexing front-line agents and angering a congressional critic of illegal immigration.  "I've said it before and I'll say it again," he told guests at a town-hall meeting Thursday. "The Border Patrol's job is not to stop illegal immigrants. The Border Patrol's job is not to stop narcotics. ... The Border Patrol's mission is not to stop criminals. "The Border Patrol's mission is to stop terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the country."

Republican Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo has called for Mr. Carrillo's resignation. In addition he has made these remarks:
"If the Border Patrol has developed a new technology that can distinguish between terrorists and other illegal border crossers without first catching them and checking them out, that is good news," said Mr. Tancredo, an outspoken critic of illegal immigration and a presidential candidate. "But if that is not the case, Mr. Carrillo's statements are extremely irresponsible and demoralizing to officers in the field."

 "Mr. Carrillo's remarks represent a new mission statement not yet published by the Department of Homeland Security, then Secretary [Michael] Chertoff needs to come up to Capitol Hill and explain this new mission, because it seems suicidal to me."

"If the Border Patrol is no longer trying to stop illegal entry into our country, border states will have to set up their own border police to halt this flow," Mr. Tancredo said. "I think this will be news to the governors in Texas, Arizona, California and a dozen states on the northern border." 

T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing 12,000 front-line agents, has made these remarks:

"It is shocking that such a high-ranking official would make a statement that is so completely at odds with the law and the Border Patrol's mission," Mr. Bonner said. "It is equally disturbing that no one at a higher level has taken any steps to reassure employees and the public that the Border Patrol will continue to intercept all illicit traffic that it encounters. The failure to do so has caused more than a few front-line agents to nervously wonder if the mission has indeed changed, and if they will face punishment for apprehending illegal aliens or drugs."
source