APSA Congressional Fellow Goes on Border Patrol

J. Mark Wrighton, assistant professor of political science, spent the last year on leave from UNH. He was chosen to participate in the American Political Science Association’s nonpartisan Congressional Fellowship Program. He wrote the following piece about his experience.

During my year as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, I had many opportunities to learn about the inner workings of Congress. This year, while on leave from the University of New Hampshire’s political science department, I was privileged to serve on the staff of the House Republican Policy Committee. The committee is part of the leadership apparatus and has, this year under the chairmanship of Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona, become an important actor in the policy process. For much of my time on staff, I worked mainly on Social Security but have recently found myself working on international trade and immigration.

Among the many things I learned this year is that – despite the recent controversy surrounding them – fact-finding trips play an important role in the legislative process. In early July, I had an opportunity to go to Arizona and participate in a series of meetings on an issue which divides the nation: immigration. The torrid desert land along the Arizona border with Mexico has become the focal point of the debate over how best to balance the concerns of citizens, the needs of employers, the aspirations of those seeking a better life, and the necessity to keep out those whose aim is to wreak havoc in the United States.

While in Arizona, committee staff members had an opportunity to meet with a wide range of people concerned with immigration policy. We met with immigrant advocates, federal and state law enforcement officials, representatives of agribusiness, and those on the front lines at the border. The goal was to learn how the government might more effectively spend resources and create policies which balance the interests of all involved. What we learned – that various parts of government are not working well together, that farmers simply cannot find adequate labor among American citizens and permanent resident aliens, and that people who want to foment terror are still getting into the country – painted a very discouraging picture of the immigration situation.

The most compelling part of the trip came on the morning of our last day when we met with border agents on the tarmac of the air base in Tucson and boarded a Blackhawk helicopter to go with them on patrol. The plan was to fly to the border, and survey it. Although flying in a Blackhawk is quite thrilling in and of itself, it would be the most informative “being there” experience of my fellowship.

Only 20 minutes into the flight, we spotted a group of undocumented aliens waiting for rides into the interior just east of Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales. We dropped off the two spotters, and the helicopter rose to help hem in the group. Once grouped together, they proceeded single-file to the nearest road so that the Border Patrol trucks could take them for processing and repatriation to Mexico.

The helicopter touched down again, and we watched as they were processed. We listened intently as a Mexican woman – who was with her seven-year-old daughter, Cillaly – answered questions. She was sincere in her desire to come to the United States in order to work to make a better life for her daughter. Additionally, we saw – and talked to – the humanitarian workers providing food and water.

The issue is so much more messier than some believe. It is certainly an incredibly important one given heightened homeland security concerns, yet there is no one line of argument which can win the day on – i.e. adequately address – the issue. Neither the “kick ‘em out and build a 20-foot concrete fence” crowd nor those who want a blanket amnesty for UDAs are right on this issue. It will take a difficult compromise which allows good people to come to the United States in order to contribute to – and benefit from – our economy while making sure that the bad guys get caught as they attempt to get in and wreak havoc.

The experience underscored for me the importance of getting “out in the field.” The making of public policy should not be merely a mental exercise performed at a desk in Washington. Going on these trips – despite the derision they might engender – is an important part of the governing process. The memory of looking into the eyes of a seven-year-old Mexican girl whose mom wants her to have a better life will always remind me of that.