Tom DeWeese -- The Mexican Fifth Column

Illegal immigration is about much more than fighting terrorism. Illegal Mexicans are pouring across our borders and, as a result, American tax-paid services like education and healthcare are being pushed to the brink of collapse. Each new report of activities along our 2,000-mile border with Mexico appears to be more outrageous than the last.

On January 22nd, the nation's newspapers reported that Hispanics now outnumber Blacks in America with a population that has grown to 37 million, up 4.7% from the 2000 Census. On the same day, the Washington Times reported that the General Services Administration had suspended recognition of identification cards issued by the Mexican government to "hundreds of thousands" of Mexican nationals to secure US documentation such as driver's licenses and to establish bank accounts. None of the cards list the carrier's immigration status.

The Mexican government of President Vicente Fox has basically demanded that the United States accept and care for citizens of his country who are sneaking in illegally. Fox has become increasingly vocal in demanding that the United States create amnesty and work-visa programs to legalize more than three million illegal Mexicans now living in the United States. As more than 10,000 illegal Mexicans flood into our nation every day, there is little concern on Capitol Hill and virtually no legislation pending to deal with the problem.

Those, like Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who vocally oppose the open border policy are ignored. President Bush continues to call for the amnesty that President Fox seeks. The new U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza, assured Mexico that reaching an accord legalizing the status of Mexican immigrants, without giving them citizenship, continues to be a top Bush Administration priority.

Consider these actions by the Mexican government inside the United States in just the past few months.

Item: The Mexican government has issued more than 800,000 slick, pocket-sized identification cards to both legal and illegal immigrants. Those cards are being distributed through Mexican consulates all over the United States. House Democrat Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, has advocated their use in her San Francisco home district.

The cards list the holder's birth date, place of birth, U.S. address and encoded information to prevent fraudulent duplication. Over the past year, Mexican officials have been openly lobbying local police departments, banks and local government agencies in the United States to accept the cards, making it easier for the holders to get jobs, open bank accounts, and get government services. The strategy is to work the system from the bottom up, making the cards acceptable on the local level before Congress can pass any legislation concerning the activity. That way, Mexico believes, the Congress will have no choice but to simply rubber stamp approval of the practice.

In spite of the fact that the GSA has suspended recognition of these cards, currently more than 800 U.S. police departments, 15 cities and 13 states now accept the cards as valid ID. At least 66 U.S. banks, led by Wells Fargo and Bank of America, have also agreed to accept the cards, opening tens of thousands of new bank accounts in states across the country, from California to Georgia. Mexico is reaping a bonanza as immigrants send more than $10 billion per year back to relatives at home. That figure equals what Mexico earns in annual tourism dollars.

Item: Mexican ambulance drivers are transporting hospital patients, unable to pay for medical care in Mexico, to facilities in the United States. They know that the federal Emergency Medical Act mandates that U.S. hospitals with emergency-room services must treat anyone who requires care, including illegal aliens.

Medical service for Americans in affected communities is being severely damaged as hospitals absorb more than $200 million in unreimbursed costs. Some emergency rooms have shut down because they cannot afford to stay open. Local tax-paying Americans are either denied medical care or have to wait in long lines for service as the illegals flood the facilities. In California, the losses are calculated to be about $79 million, with $74 million in Texas, $31 million in Arizona, and $6 million in New Mexico.

Item: Schools are suffering the same fate as hospitals as illegal aliens fill classrooms, bloat budgets, and rob taxpayers of decent facilities for American children. Federal law and an incredible Supreme Court ruling ban schools from denying free education to illegal aliens.

In addition, state colleges and universities are being forced to allow illegal aliens to receive tuition discounts that are supposed to be reserved for U.S. residents. In California, a new law (Assembly Bill 540) allows undocumented high school graduates who have been in residence in California for three years to enroll in community colleges and the California State University and University of California systems without paying nonresident tuition. California opposes allowing schools to report illegal aliens or to deny them enrollment.

Item: Several cities have declared themselves "safe havens" for illegal aliens and refuse to enforce immigration laws. Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City have all declared themselves to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens. In other words, these city governments refuse to uphold federal law or defend American borders.

Item: On several occasions, heavily armed Mexican soldiers have actually crossed over into United Sates territory and fired on U.S. Border Patrol personnel. Border Patrol officials confirmed that the Juarez drug cartel has placed a bounty of $200,000 on U.S. lawmen.

Item: The U.S. Border Patrol is using tax dollars to advertise the establishment of eight "rescue beacons" along the border to help illegal aliens find they way. A strobe light is used to direct illegal aliens to the beacons to help with night crossings. During the day a reflective mirror guides the crossers.

The one-minute commercials are expected to run in 2003 on TV stations in Mexico and in the border city of Yuma, Arizona. "Officials want to reach viewers in the interior parts of Mexico, where potential border crossers may know little about the treacherous terrain and nothing about the beacons," the Associated Press reported.

So great is the Mexican invasion that the U.S. government has decided to accept illegal aliens as a economic fact instead of trying to stop it. There is no movement on Capitol Hill to stem the flow of illegal Mexicans even though recent polls show overwhelming support by Americans for stronger action against illegal immigrants. It is now up to American taxpayers to apply pressure on our elected officials to demand an end to these outrageous policies.

This is our land, not Mexico's. It's high time we told that to our own leaders and especially to the government of Mexico.