Lawmakers want tighter border rules

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Lawmakers from southern border states urged President Bush Monday to tighten controls on those who enter the country illegally.

Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, and Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas -- the co-chairmen of the House Border Caucus -- wrote to the president and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, protesting the policy of releasing captured aliens who enter the country illegally from Mexico.

The congressmen criticized the Border Patrol's so called "Catch and Release" policy, under which non- Mexican aliens apprehended after crossing the border are often released on their own recognizance if they promise to attend a deportation hearing.

Ortiz called it an "an urgent national security matter," saying he had received reports that aliens "who could be associated with al-Qaida" were being released.

Border patrol officials say while Mexicans can be simply returned across the border, those of other nationalities have to be deported, a process which requires a court hearing. Scheduling such hearings can take months and the cost of detention is prohibitive, say officials.