Source: Dallas Morning News Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com Pubdate: Sat, 1 Aug 1998 Author: David LaGesse TEXAS-BASED BORDER CZAR IS PROPOSED Plan targets illegal drugs, undocumented immigrants Washington-drug czar Barry McCaffrey is proposing a new coordinator for federal units trying to stem the flow of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants crossing the border from Mexico. Essentially case of West border its czar, the new presidential appointee would be based in El Paso and consolidate some smaller agencies already there. The proposal would vastly expand previous efforts to improve coordination among the U.S. Customs Service, the border Patrol and other federal police forces. "The American people deserve a more coherent, better orchestrated effort the Southwest border," he said in an interview. "We need a border coordinator in El Paso. " McCaffrey said the concept is key to bring control to the border with Mexico where illicit trafficking has been a growing problem. Beginning this month, Mr. McCaffrey will campaign to and this support from other agencies and border state leaders. He will make his case in a speech in planned for San Diego next week and during a Texas is it later this month. Mr. McCaffrey said he hopes Mr. Clinton will approve a plan this fall and sending to Congress next year. Mr. McCaffrey acknowledged Hill have to overcome skepticism from agents and supervisors who fear a loss of autonomy. "The new guy should not be in command of all federal agencies, but should coordinate call their policies in budget work together," said Mr. McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Critics have said problems are legion among the myriad of enforcement agencies that operate along the border. Earlier, less-ambitious proposals to improve coordination have surfaced but cooperation largely depends on informal team work. The Congress and the administration increasingly target the Southwest border, which analysts say is the route for most the cocaine smuggled into the United States and about half of its undocumented workers. "There's a tremendous amount of frustration in Congress about the impact of drug trafficking on America's communities," said Republican Sylvester Reyes, D-El Paso. "Politically, the time is right for an idea like this. " The rise in trafficking already forces them to work together more, border agents say "I've met with my counterparts more often the past eight months then I did in all of several years before," said David Higgerson, Customs Board director in Pharr. "If we don't work together, we figure somebody's going to make as one agency," he said. Aides to Mr. McCaffrey said he doesn't want to merge the larger enforcement agencies. But somebody must degrees been charged that the ports of entry - the staffed highway and bridge crossings - where agents from four more federal agencies of working, said Mr. McCaffrey. "There must be a federal coordinator at each port of entry," he said. "You can't have 300 or 400 people working seven days a week, 24 hours a day . . . Unless somebody's in charge. " He wants customs to take charge of the ports of entry in the Immigration and naturalization Service supervising the vast border between the ports. But his office has developed a few details. Aides say talks among agency heads will develop a proposal for President Clinton. Like his proposed border its czar, Mr. McCaffrey carries no direct authority over the budgets of agencies involved in the drug flights. But he has persuaded the Pentagon to change its spending plans, and he recently criticized Treasury officials for not warning Mexico of a money-laundering investigation there. He also shepherded a $2 billion, five-year anti-drug media campaign through the administration and Congress. Republicans have remained critical of the administration's account to drug efforts, saying Mr. McCaffrey said the agency and others have failed to stem America's drug use. More limited efforts in the past included a border supervisor appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno in San Diego, focused on problems that the border there. No senior official has tried to tackle the entire border and all federal agencies, Mr. Reyes said. "The problem has been that nobody of McCaffrey's stature has been committed to this idea. " Mr. McCaffrey recently predicted the federal government could largely close the Southwest border to drug-traffickers in five years. Aides say he developed your idea of a border coordinator over the past years as Congress and the administration poured resources into the region. The added resources cannot work without better coordination and intelligence, Mr. McCaffrey said. The new border coordinator could take control of the counter drugs, inter agency Tell possible intelligence center as well as Joint Task Force six, which coordinates the military's anti trafficking missions. The hope the new border coordinators also could improve its illegal crossings at the border. Truck drivers and other frequent crossers often complain of poor coordination among the many inspection agencies Government auditors also have criticized agencies for not cooperating better at the border. Customs and immigration offices, for example, have duplicated administrative overhead, sometimes sabotaged each other's inspections and slow traffic by not coordinating their staffing, according to studies by the General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of Congress. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)