From Tancredo’s office:

Tancredo Says Patriot Act Must Be Tied To Border Security
10 Congressmen Call on President Bush to Secure our Borders
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) called on President Bush to take specific steps to increase border security as part of the USA PATRIOT Act’s renewal. In a letter sent today, Tancredo said that he would have “grave reservations” about supporting the reauthorization of the Patriot Act without increased border security. A total of 10 Congressmen signed the letter.
“Up to this point, I have supported extending all provisions of the Patriot Act,” said Tancredo. “But I find it difficult to justify increased anti-terrorism powers when the Bush administration hasn’t done enough to stop terrorists from getting here in the first place.”
Tancredo’s letter outlines several steps that President Bush should take. First, the letter calls for the deployment of military technology and manpower to the border. Second, the letter says the President should fully staff Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol as provided by Congress’ authorization. Congress authorized an increase of 800 ICE and 2000 Border Patrol agents in December, yet the President’s budget only included 143 ICE and 210 Border Patrol agents above the current level.
Third, it asks the President to direct the Department of Homeland Security to enter absconders and illegal aliens into the National Crime Information Database so that police can be aware of immigration violations. Fourth, it calls on the President to require ICE to respond to all state and local requests for immigration enforcement assistance. Finally, it urges the President to direct the Justice Department to take action against local governments that have illegal alien sanctuary policies. President Bush can take all steps outlined in the letter without further action by Congress.
The letter notes, “asking for such advanced tools as roving wiretaps while ignoring basic border security is like asking for the installation of a state-of-the-art video surveillance system in a house without door locks – it simply doesn’t make sense. At best, it will improve security only nominally, and at worst it may only serve to lull Americans into a false sense of security.”
Tancredo said, “The American people elected President Bush to a second term largely because of the War on Terror. If the President disregards border security, he’s disregarding part of his mandate.”