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Lou Dobbs Tonight

Hundreds More Border Patrol Agents Sent to Arizona; Anchor Babies Provide Loophole for Illegals; Human Traffickers Prey on Illegals

Aired March 30, 2005 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight, "Broken Borders": the federal government sending hundreds of extra border patrol agents to the border along Arizona. But is it simply a giant shell game, thanks to the people President Bush calls vigilantes? I'll be talking with a leading Arizona lawmaker. I'll also be debating a new law against illegal aliens in Virginia with a Latino lawmaker who says that law is simply political grandstanding.
Also tonight, "Anchor Babies": the scandal of the millions of babies born to illegal aliens in this country. We'll have a special report tonight on the babies born to be U.S. citizens with a right to bring their families to the United States and to give access to public benefits, all paid for by U.S. taxpayers.

And "Flunking Out": many of our public schools are nothing less than dropout factories. Minority students are failing the grade at an alarming rate, and our educators failing with them. And also deceiving in some cases, the public and taxpayers. My guest is a Harvard professor who says only bold reform can save our public education system.

ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS for news, debate and opinion tonight.

DOBBS: Good evening.

Also tonight, we'll have the latest for you on the Terri Schiavo case. We'll have a live report from outside her hospice in Florida.

In "Our Vanishing World," we are depleting our planet's resources at an alarming rate. We'll have that special report.

But first, the Department of Homeland Security today declared it's determined to gain operational control of this country's borders. The federal government is sending 500 additional border patrol agents to Arizona, the most vulnerable part of our border with Mexico. But critics say the government is simply sending agents to Arizona from other border states.

Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reports from southern Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just seven minutes into flight, a border patrol helicopter finds what it is looking for...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I've got bodies.

MESERVE: ... illegal aliens hiding in the desert scrub. Border patrol agent Brad Rubenoff (ph) jumps from the hovering chopper to round them up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Brad is away.

MESERVE: There are nine, including three women. They say they crossed the border two nights ago. They have walked almost 50 miles into the United States before being detected. After processing, they will be taken back.

JOHN KIMMEL, BORDER PATROL AGENT: They'll probably be back in Mexico by 4 or 5 this evening. It's now 12.

MESERVE (on camera): And then will they try to cross the border again?

KIMMEL: Probably this evening.

MESERVE (voice-over): With about half of the country's illegal immigration coming across the Arizona border, homeland security is injecting new resources into its year-old Arizona Border Control Initiative, or ABCI. Today the department announced a nearly 25 percent increase in the number of permanently assigned border patrol agents and the temporary deployment of 23 additional aircraft.

ROBERT BONNER, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: The Department of Homeland Security is determined to gain control of our borders. And we're going to do it, and we're going to keep at it until we get the job done.

T.J. BONNER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: I think it largely is a publicity stunt by the government. Sorry to say that, but I think the government is trying to pull a fast one on the public.

MESERVE (on camera): Though the Department of Homeland Security vehemently denies it, some believe that ABCI being augmented now to counter potential bad publicity from a protest action beginning Friday, the Minuteman Project.

(voice-over) Based in the legendary town of Tombstone, organizers expect as many as 1,500 volunteers. Stationed at intervals along 50 miles of the Mexico/Arizona border, they will attempt to detect and report anyone crossing illegally, to highlight what they perceive as the inadequacy of current border protection efforts.

CHRIS SIMCOX, MINUTEMAN PROJECT: We're a neighborhood watch group. Nothing more than a neighborhood watch group who are doing nothing but what the president and the Department of Homeland Security ask Americans to do. You can't find any more suspicious illegal activity in this country than coming across this border through our backyards.

MESERVE: Though even critics like the Minutemen welcome the bolstering of ABCI, they believe it will push illegal immigration elsewhere and divert border patrol resources at a time when the president's budget funds only 210 new agents for the entire country.

T.J. BONNER: They're essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul at a time when they should be hiring as many people as possible.

MESERVE: But border patrol pilot John Kimmel is more optimistic.

KIMMEL: I've done as much as one pilot can do. So I -- all of us are doing our parts, and it is making a difference.

MESERVE: Kimmel believes more agents will mean more arrests and more progress against the tide of illegal immigration.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, in the southern Arizona desert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: For its part, the government of Mexico doesn't recognize that its prerogatives and sovereignty stop at the border with this country. Mexico's foreign ministry today said Mexican consulates in Arizona will be filing criminal complaints against Minutemen supporters who help detain Mexican illegal aliens.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government is refusing to file any criminal complaints against the millions of Mexican citizens who break U.S. laws and enter this country illegally. Critics say this is nothing less than hypocrisy. Surely even the Mexican government must realize that laws cannot be enforced selectively.

As we reported, the Minuteman volunteers will begin their patrols the Arizona border this weekend. We'll have unique access to this story, to the volunteers, as they patrol our border. We'll have extensive coverage here on Monday. We'll also be reporting on any confrontation with protesters who say the volunteers are nothing less than vigilantes, as President Bush has called them.

Every year, almost 300,000 babies are born to illegal alien in this country. Those babies are called anchor babies because every one of them instantly becomes a U.S. citizen, anchoring them to the United States. And with that privilege comes access to this country's public benefits and the right to petition the government to make the rest of their family legal citizens.

Christine Romans has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in Arkansas, pregnant illegal aliens get free neonatal care for their babies who will be American citizens.

JULIE MUNSELL, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES: It costs about $1,800 for total prenatal care, and it costs a roughly that or more a day for one day of crisis care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

So we're trying to balance the cost. And good preventative health care, as far as we can tell, is almost immeasurable.

ROMANS: Illegal aliens are eligible for federal funds for prenatal care and childbirth, and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution says all persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States.

PETER SCHUCK, YALE LAW SCHOOL: At the margin, it certainly increases the desire of people to come here illegally, because it creates a benefit for them if they have their child in the United States.

ROMANS: Benefits like welfare, food stamps, school lunch programs. And free education. For example, an illegal couple in California with two anchor babies can get as much as $12,000 in public benefits.

MARK KIRKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: An enormous proportion, probably most of the costs of services provided to illegal alien families is because of the U.S.-born children that these illegals have.

ROMANS: The Urban Institute estimates there are three million so-called anchor babies and another 1.6 million children in this country illegally.

In Arizona, at the Maricopa County Medical Center, an anchor baby is born every three hours. Two out of three births are to illegal aliens, 2,900 each year. It's a huge part of the $28 million overall spent treating illegal aliens at just one hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's important to realize that whether those funds come from the federal government or whether they come from state -- from state government, it is all taxpayer money.

ROMANS: By law, emergency rooms cannot turn away illegal aliens for any reason, and hospitals are not required to ask if patients are illegal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Now Congress is expected to consider legislation this year that would deny automatic citizenship to anchor babies. Ireland did it last year. But, Lou, this has been tried before in the United States. It has always failed.

DOBBS: And what did Ireland do?

ROMANS: Ireland said that just because you are born in this country, if both of your parents are illegal does not automatically make you an Irish citizen.

DOBBS: Extraordinary. And in Maricopa County, Arizona, two out of three babies born, illegal?

ROMANS: At just one hospital. One every three hours.

DOBBS: Incredible. Christine Romans, thank you very much.

That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. The question tonight is, as you might guess, "Should anchor babies be allowed to petition when they turn 21 to make the rest of their family legal citizens of the United States?" Yes or no? Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results later in the broadcast, as always.

The invasion of illegal aliens into this country is a massive human tragedy, as well as a border security crisis. Many of those illegal aliens become victims of human traffickers and other criminals. Some illegal aliens even become sex slaves in this country.

Casey Wian reports from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not all of the illegal aliens sneaking across our borders seek work picking crops or washing dishes. A growing number are being forced to work as prostitutes or in sweat shops.

In San Diego, just across the border from Tijuana, federal and local law enforcement officials this week formed a human trafficking task force in an effort to crack down on the modern-day slave trade.

BONNIE DUMANIS, SAN DIEGO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Human trafficking is about buying and selling of people, usually women and young girls, for sex and/or labor exploitation. The Tijuana/San Diego connection is no longer undeniable. Like much of the crime we deal with within this region, the trafficking of human beings knows no borders.

WIAN: The State Department says nearly 20,000 people are now brought into the United States against their will each year. A University of Pennsylvania report estimates 750,000 women were trafficked into the U.S. as sex slaves in the past decade.

Since 2001, the Justice Department has prosecuted 198 human traffickers. A threefold increase over the previous four years. As of this month, the department was investigating another 213 suspected cases.

Human trafficking is often difficult to prosecute because victims are afraid, as in this case.

RICK CASTRO, SAN DIEGO COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF: And the trafficker brought her back in, caught her, brought her back in, and then beat her for several hours with a clothes hanger in front of all the young girls that were working for him. And every time he beat her, he was telling her, "This is what's going to happen to you if you decide to leave me." WIAN: San Diego becomes the 20th U.S. city with a human trafficking task force. The sheriff's department will train officers to recognize slave trade victims, and the local prosecutor promises stiff sentences for convicted traffickers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: According to the United Nations, human trafficking is now the third largest source of income for organized crime, behind only drugs and guns -- Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, what do the officials in San Diego or other California jurisdictions say when -- you are talking about open borders. It is not only the sex slave trade, as you are reporting here tonight. It is drugs. It is human trafficking. It is a human tragedy.

The open borders lobby and the local governments, as well as state governments and obviously our federal government, who are turning a blind eye to what is nothing less than a crisis. What do they say?

WIAN: Publicly, the local law enforcement officials in this area generally say it's a federal problem. They want the federal government to do its job, which, of course, as we all know, they are not doing a very good job of.

On this issue of human trafficking, they say they don't even have a good handle on the size of the problem because there hasn't been a lot of cooperation between local and federal officials on this issue. Some crimes that may be run of the mill -- may look like run-of-the- mill drug or prostitution crimes may actually involve human trafficking. That's why they want to coordinate their efforts and try to get a better handle on this and prosecute these traffickers -- Lou.

DOBBS: The only thing that's run of the mill right now is the failure of the federal government to enforce the border, to provide border security, and to continue to conduct what appears to be, instead of enforcement of border security, an all-out public relations campaign.

Casey Wian, thank you very much, reporting from Los Angeles.

Immigration officials in New York's Nassau County arrested 25 illegal aliens wanted for sex crimes. Nassau County police teamed up with federal immigration agents to make these arrests. An immigration official said some of the victims were as young as 9 years of age.

Police in Mexicali, Mexico, arrested four Iraqi men trying to enter the United States illegally. They were carrying phony Dutch passports. The four men were traveling with a woman who is a naturalized citizen of the United States. She is Iraqi born and the sister of one of the men arrested. Officials say they have not found any link to terrorism.

We'll have much more ahead here tonight about our broken borders and the impact on communities all across this country. As we reported, Virginia has just passed a law that prevents illegal aliens from receiving state benefits. Tonight in our "Face Off," I'll be debating with one Latino leader who calls this new law political grandstanding and suggests that local governments know better than state governments or even federal government about what should be done with illegal aliens.

Later, a rising movement in Arizona to make English the official language of that state. My guest is the lawmaker who started the movement.

Coming up next here, another court decision in the Terri Schiavo case tonight. Her parents say it is still not too late to save their daughter's life.

And a power vacuum within the Pentagon. Why a stream of high- ranking Pentagon officials are heading for the door and why they are difficult, very difficult, apparently, to replace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: A soldier who was killed in combat in Iraq two years ago is to be awarded this country's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. Sergeant 1st Class Paul Smith was killed as he manned a heavy machine gun in a battle with Iraqi forces. He is the first member of our military to receive the medal of honor in more than a decade.

Sergeant Smith's engineered battalion was serving with the 3rd Infantry Division during its advance into Baghdad. His actions are credited with saving the lives of at least 100 American soldiers. As many as 50 Iraqi troops were killed in that engagement. Sergeant Smith's family will receive his Medal of Honor from the president next week, exactly two years after Sergeant Smith was killed in combat.

While this country is fighting a war against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting a global war against radical Islamist terrorism, a number of critically important leadership positions at the Pentagon remain vacant. And even more senior officials are preparing to leave their posts.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now says his single biggest priority is filling the empty chairs that surround him. There are so many vacant jobs in the top tier of senior political appointees, the secretary issued a Rumsfeldian warning during a press conference.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: If you have a constitutional requirement for civilian control of the military, and you have 47 presidential appointees that are Senate confirmed, that is a very thin veneer of civilian control. STARR: And that led the four-star Marine standing next to him, Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to make his own extraordinary remark.

PETER PACE, VICE CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: No matter how thin the veneer, your military is 100 percent civilian controlled. An important point for anybody listening. One hundred percent civilian controlled is your military.

STARR: Pace says the only civilian who really matters, of course, is President Bush. But there are a lot of empty chairs.

Paul Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld's deputy, is going to head the World Bank. Douglas Feith, the head of Rumsfeld's policy shop, has resigned to return to the private sector.

There is no secretary of the Air Force. Secretary James Roche left weeks ago, as did the acting secretary. The Defense Department is now overseeing key Air Force spending. There is also no permanent head of the National Reconnaissance Office, which runs the nation's spy satellite programs.

The Pentagon doesn't have an acquisition chief right now, the person who oversees some $70 billion a year in spending.

Rumsfeld says it's tough to get people to join the government. Tough to get them through the security and ethics clearances, and even tougher to get them approved.

RUMSFELD: There are delays in the Senate confirmation process, in some cases as long as a year, or a year and a quarter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And Lou, one more top job, the top military job, is about to become open as well. General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to retire this summer. A leading contender to replace him, General Peter Pace -- Lou.

DOBBS: Barbara, obviously, manpower, talent, is in short supply at the Pentagon. Not only are -- is the U.S. military missing its recruiting goals this year, the National Guard, the Reservists in difficulty. Reservists raising the eligibility age to 39.

Now unable to fill apparently senior positions, there is a broader -- there is a broader arc, if you will, to this story. What is going on?

STARR: Lou, there's an awful lot going on. Of course, many of these cases very, very different.

The recruiting, of course, as you say, a very troubling situation for many top leaders here. But what appears to be going on at the Pentagon is more of a political situation behind the headlines in Washington. This is the second Bush administration. An awful lot of people who have been here are tired and exhausted after the last four years. They want to get back to the private sector, get back to their families, make some money, if you will.

It's hard to get people confirmed by the Senate. An awful lot of jobs have been -- that are Senate confirmable have been held by the Senate that people haven't been confirmed. They are starting over in some of those jobs. Rumsfeld is very frustrated -- Lou.

DOBBS: Barbara Starr, thank you, reporting from the Pentagon.

Venezuela today ignored U.S. concerns and pressed ahead with a deal to buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons from Spain. Spain is selling Venezuela eight warships and 12 transport aircraft. Venezuela also planning to buy 100,000 assault rifles from Russia, although the Venezuelan army has only 30,000 soldiers.

The United States is increasingly concerned about Venezuela's attempted military build-up. The United States says Venezuela's left wing government is obviously trying to destabilize Latin America through its support of Marxist terrorists.

In Russia, a parliament meeting today turned into an all-out brawl. The fight started when members of the liberal democratic party were barred from a local election. On their way out of the building, a shouting match ensued with a rival party. It quickly escalated into a good old-fashioned fist fight.

Vladimir Baranovsky, one of those at the center of today's fisticuffs, is well know for his public outbreaks. A few years ago grabbed a female deputy by the neck and pulled her hair. On another occasion, he threw orange juice at a member of the opposition.

Democracy beginning to work apparently in Russia, at least in limited confines.

Coming up next, planet Earth on the eve of disaster. A disturbing new report today on the delicate balance between the human beings and the world in which we live. Our special report is next.

And then, a federal court decides whether to allow a new hearing in the Terri Schiavo case. We'll have the latest on this tragic case from Florida.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Tonight, a disturbing new report on the environment, on the health of planet Earth. Human beings have disrupted ecosystems more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than at any other point in history. Now a team of scientists is warning that our food, water and energy supplies, all vital, of course, to human existence, are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Lisa Sylvester has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Human beings are spending the Earth's natural resources faster than it's being replenished. A quarter of marine fish are over-harvested. Water withdrawals from rivers and lakes have doubled in the past 40 years, and a quarter of the land surface is already cultivated.

The new report, backed by nearly 1,400 scientists, says this trend is unsustainable.

ROBERT WATSON, WORLD BANK CHIEF SCIENTIST: If we continue business as usual, and that is over-exploiting our natural resources, we'll truly undermine many services we are critically dependent on.

SYLVESTER: Humans will be at an increased risk of malaria, cholera and new diseases. Deforestation could lead to drought. Fresh water could run out. And 25 percent of mammals could face extinction.

The problem, an exploding population made worse by consumers' increasing demand for more cars, bigger homes and added convenience. New consumer markets like China are adding to the strain.

JAY KELLER, POPULATION CONNECTION: If we'd like to have a planet where everyone lives as well as most Americans live, it certainly could not sustain the six billion people that we have now, much less seven, eight, nine billion that we're heading toward.

SYLVESTER: The United States is facing a diminished quality of life.

ROSEMARY JENKS, NUMBERS USA: We have an incredible quality of life here, and we will see it diminishing as we spend more time in our cars getting to work every day, as we have to hustle and bustle with more and more people.

SYLVESTER: The country is already showing signs of wear and tear. During parts of the year, the Colorado River dries up before it reaches the ocean. And fertilizers in the Mississippi have created dead zones where fish cannot live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYLVESTER: The scientists are urging world leaders to factor in the impact of the environment when they make economic and political decisions and to not favor corporations at the expense of the Earth -- Lou.

DOBBS: Lisa, effectively, the study suggests two-thirds of he world's resources have already been consumed.

SYLVESTER: That is indeed correct. And especially in areas, Lou, of fisheries and fresh water. These are two areas that are of particular concern to scientists. And as far as the trend that we're continuing, they say it simply is not sustainable -- Lou. DOBBS: Lisa, thank you very much. Lisa Sylvester reporting from Washington.

Coming up next here, Terri Schiavo's parents making yet another appeal to the courts to save their daughter's life. We'll have the court's latest decision and the latest report for you from Pinellas Park, Florida.

Also ahead, a new law cracking down on benefits for illegal aliens in the state of Virginia. In our "Face Off" tonight, I'll be debating with a Latino lawmaker who says the law is simply political grandstanding, that local governments know better than states and the federal government how to deal with the issue.

And the fight to make English the official language of at least one state in this country. That story and more still ahead here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: A federal appeals court has denied another petition from Terri Schiavo's parents to rehear their case. Now a spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler say the couple plans to appeal once again to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bob Franken joins me now from outside Terri Schiavo's hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Lou, even though the family says it's not giving up the fight, there's a genuine impression that the family is resigned to the fact that time is running out on Terri Schiavo. And, of course, time is running out on Terri Schiavo.

That was quite apparent when Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is their newest ally, returned to this area after an unsuccessful day of lobbying for some sort of action at the state level, action that he said he was not promised either from Governor Jeb Bush or from legislative leaders.

Afterwards, Jesse Jackson came out and he spoke about all the futility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: It seems at every turn these legal doors are being closed. Of course there is the moral, ethical issue on the one hand. We have food and water. On the other hand, Terri needs food and water, and we will not offer it to her. I mean, that is the moral and ethical dimension of this that is unjustifiable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And even with this frenzy, Lou, of legal activity and political activity, it cannot overcome the reality that time is running out for Terri Schiavo -- Lou.

DOBBS: Bob, the situation there, it seems there are fewer protesters than there have been at other occasions of your reporting. Jesse Jackson's assertion of himself into this case, now two days ago. What has been the reaction there amongst the demonstrators. What is the mood there, if you will, among those standing vigil?

FRANKEN: Well, among those standing vigil here, it seems to be more somber than anything else. However, the police yesterday received a couple of bomb threats against the hospice. And they were concerned enough, after their search, that they have now instituted a policy that any vehicle that comes down this road must submit to a search. There are five police at the top of this road who are making sure nobody goes by without a thorough search of the car.

DOBBS: Bob, thank you very much. Bob Franken reporting from Pinellas Park.

Now here are some of the other important stories we're that following tonight. Pope John Paul II is now being fed through a tube in his nose. Doctors trying to speed his recovery. He made an appearance at the window of his study today, frail, some said pained, and obviously, in discomfort. The pope has been hospitalized twice over the past few weeks. He underwent a tracheotomy for respiratory problems. Vatican officials say that his recovery is progressing.

A former top official for the Boy Scouts pleaded guilty today of one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. As part of the plea, Douglas Smith Jr. will face 5 to 20 years in prison and may also be fined $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for July 12.

And another strong aftershock hit Indonesia today, almost 48 hours to the minute after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake created this damage.

The United States and the United Nations say at least 500 people were killed. Those are still estimates. Indonesia is recovering from the earthquake and tsunami in December, which killed 174,000 people in Indonesia alone.

My guest tonight has proposed legislation in Arizona to make English the official language of the state. That bill has passed through the state House and now awaits approval by the state Senate. If passed, residents of Arizona would vote on that measure in 2006. Arizona state representative Russell Pearce says making English the official language of the state would promote unity and he joins us tonight from Phoenix.

Good to have you with us, sir.

RUSSELL PEARCE, (R) ARIZONA STATE HOUSE: Thank you very having me, Lou.

DOBBS: What is the reason? It seems only reasonable, I think, to most people that English would be the official language in this country. Why is it necessary, if you will, in Arizona, to codify it?

PEARCE: Well, you are right. I thought our founding fathers decided that some 200 years ago. But we have never been overwhelmed as we are today with mass immigration. And we've never been an English-only nation. But we should not be an English optional nation.

It is important for everybody to understand that we speak English and government business, official, should be done in English. It makes all kind of exceptions where necessary, where reasonable. And it doesn't affect private business or private citizens at all. It's simply the right thing to do.

DOBBS: For example, other measures that have gone to the issue of creating English language-only ballots have been deemed not to conform to the 1964 Voting Rights Act. What would your legislation do in that regard?

PEARCE: Well -- and that's a good question. It does conform.

In fact, I've had several constitutional attorneys look at this. We have a provision right in the referendum that makes it very clear that this would not usurp federal law. We understand that we have to comply with federal law on those issues. And we have a provision in this ballot that any piece the court deems inappropriate would not be implemented but the rest would be.

So, this will be found constitutional. It's a well-written document. And it just simply, Lou, you can't come to America and think you have a right to demand services in another language. We're English speaking and -- in terms as a nation. So this codifies the official business must be done in English.

DOBBS: One of the things -- well, there are a number of things. Let me first turn to something we reported yesterday, which is, for example, a neighboring state New Mexico, reaching out to Mexico to bring in teachers for its bilingual education program. That is not to teach Spanish, but rather to teach bilingually.

Is that also the case in Arizona? That there is basically education in another language going on within your public school system?

PEARCE: You know, there is. But it shouldn't be. We passed in Arizona a couple of years ago proposition 203. Proposition 203 was overwhelmingly supported by the people of Arizona. And it said, you will conduct education in immersion. There will be no bilingual classes. That's the law of the land.

And again, it's foolish to think that people are going to learn English when you continue to facilitate their other language. Just like having a teenage son. Give him keys, allowance, room and board, a car, there's no need for him to go out and get a job.

DOBBS: A number of our viewers here pointed out, Mr. Pearce, it is almost impossible to learn language A while speaking language B, and that's their concern. The number of teachers who wrote in to say to us that bilingual education is and has been always has been a fraud perpetrated against those who it is intended to help and it's a shame that it continues.

I do want to come back to your legislation that you are sponsoring. In 1988, as you well know, Arizona passed an official language measure that the Supreme Court in Arizona held unconstitutional because of violation of freedom of speech. How do you deal with that issue as well within what you are doing?

PEARCE: Well, this is a different issue altogether. That one was written as an English only. And it simply, they felt that it restricted the communication to anybody needing a service. This one doesn't do that. This is official English. It does not restrict communications. We've written it carefully with that in mind. We've resolved that problem.

But you know, do your other issue, too. It's every study of the world shows that you -- that bilingual education absolutely is bad for everybody, in terms of them learning and assimilating and becoming prosperous in a nation. So you are right. This pandering has got to stop. New Mexico is like many other states. We continue to pander while America is being destroyed because we refuse to recognize what's good for America.

DOBBS: One of the events that will take place, as you well know in your state in two days, the Minuteman Project, controversial. The president himself has referred to them as vigilantes. Others have referred to them as undocumented border patrolmen. Others as patriots. What is your view?

PEARCE: Well, we tease about being undocumented border patrol agents, because that's the class people would like to play when it comes to people violating our laws, called illegal aliens when they give them this soft drawing (ph). But you know, it's unfortunate that the president would make such a statement. Because of the malfeasance, the gross negligence on the part of the U.S. government. U.S.E. title 9, their No. 1 job is to protect our borders from invasion. And according to "Time" magazine and others, 3 to 4 million people come across the borders this next year. That's an invasion.

We wouldn't need to be down there if our government did its job of protecting America.

DOBBS: Russell Pearce, we appreciate you being here, representative of the state legislature, state of Arizona. Thank you.

A new study tonight finds teenagers in this country have made significant progress in several important areas over the past decade. A good news story tonight about young people in this country. The adolescent and teenage birth rate has fallen by nearly half since 1992. At that time, there were 20 births for every 1,000 girls in the country. In 2004, that rate has dropped dramatically to 11 births for every 1,000 girls.

Crimes committed against young people have also fallen and fallen dramatically. In 1994, there were 120 crimes committed for every 1,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17. Today, that number is only 45 for every 1,000 children in that age group. Some good news for our young people and for the country itself.

Coming up next here, the fight to stop illegal aliens from receiving benefits that are designed for U.S. citizens. I'll be debating in our face-off tonight with a Latino leader who says a new law, quote, "fans the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment," end quote.

And the controversy over whether California high schools are so- called drop-out factories for minority students. The author of an important new study is our guest.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: As we reported last night, Virginia Governor Mark Warner signed a measure that would limit public benefits such as Medicaid and welfare for illegal aliens. Among those opposed to that bill, and now law, is my next guest. Arlington County board member Walter Tejada says the bill, quote, "fans the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment," end quote. He also says there is no evidence illegal aliens are abusing the system.

Walter Tejada joins us tonight from our Washington studios. Good to have you with us.

WALTER TEJADA, MEMBER, ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD: Thank you for inviting me.

DOBBS: The fact is that it's clearcut that Medicaid and other services are provided to illegal aliens. Why do you resist that suggestion that taxpayers are providing benefits for illegal aliens?

TEJADA: First, Mr. Dobbs, no human being is illegal. And the fact is that we have laws already in the books, called federal law, that prohibits undocumented persons from receiving public benefits. What we have in Virginia is a redundant law for something that already exists. Undocumented persons do not qualify, yesterday, not today or tomorrow, to receive any public benefits such as Medicaid or otherwise.

DOBBS: So let's start out with a couple of things. No person in this country is illegal? Sir?

TEJADA: There's no human being who is illegal, Mr. Dobbs. And what we're talking about are human beings, your next-door neighbor your co-worker, your next-door shopper when you go to the mall, and your classmates.

So what we're talking about here specifically is whether undocumented persons are receiving benefits or not. The fact is, there's no evidence to show that they are in Virginia.

DOBBS: Well, there's no evidence to show that illegal aliens are in Virginia?

TEJADA: Sir, those are your words. What I said, there's no evidence to show that undocumented workers are utilizing public benefits. There is -- we've asked for that information. Let's see it. The fact is, they are undocumented persons, already do not qualify for receiving benefits such as public benefits.

DOBBS: So let's go to a couple points. And if you don't mind, let's just you and I try, irrespective of the fact you think I'm anti- immigrant, which I assure you I'm not, but I am absolutely pro-truth and honesty.

An illegal alien is one who crosses our borders illegally, who is in this country illegally. Now, that is a person I would refer to as an illegal alien. It does not make them evil, but it does make them lawbreakers. It does, by definition, make them illegal.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Secondly, secondly, the fact is that the documentation of the cost for Medicaid services in the Commonwealth of Virginia is clear. You are aware of it. And you certainly, because you are urging local control over this issue, you must know your community very well. You were a state director of LULAC, for example. You know your community, Latino, legal and illegal, native born, in the state of Virginia. Do you not?

TEJADA: Sir, first, these are human beings we are talking about.

DOBBS: I've acceded to that. You don't need to keep repeating it.

TEJADA: Well, you know...

DOBBS: We wouldn't be talking about them if they weren't people, human beings.

TEJADA: Well, sir, I agree with you that you are anti-immigrant, absolutely. You have made a way to flame this kind of discussion all the time, not allowing folks an opportunity to allow you to provide balance in your stories.

The fact is that immigrants contribute to the fiber of this country every day. We have $421 billion, with a B...

DOBBS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Mr. Tejada, I have never denied there's a contribution to the country. I've only tried to point out that corporations and businesses and employees are exploiting cheap labor. And the fact of the matter is, they are exploiting the very people you say you want to represent. They're exploiting the people you said you did represent when you were the director of LULAC.

You continue to create a fiction about me being anti-immigrant? I'm pro-immigrant.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: I'm anti-illegal immigration, and I'm anti, anti, positioning and posturing, like the kind that you're carrying out right now.

The reality is, taxpayers are paying for the services. And you suggest they are not? Mr. Tejada, you are far, far too intelligent to expect any of us to buy that.

TEJADA: Sir, I am proud of my service with the Legal (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Latin American Citizens. It's a great organization.

DOBBS: I agree with you.

TEJADA: The fact of the matter...

DOBBS: It's a terrific organization.

TEJADA: The fact of the matter is, in providing balanced journalism, sir, I think it's important that you also highlight the positive contributions that immigrants make day in and day out to this community, to this nation. If we were talking a few years ago, we'd be talking about the Irish, we'd be talking about the Polish, we'd be talking about the Italians.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: The Irish, the Poles, the Italians...

TEJADA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: ... Mr. Tejada, as you know, as a student of history and a very bright and educated man, came through Ellis Island, didn't they?

TEJADA: Sir, this is part what I mean. You don't allow a balanced journalism in your show. Last night, you had three great guests, and you wouldn't allow them to elaborate.

But I would say to this, what we need in this country is true, comprehensive immigration reform, in that we all agree, I think. I think you will agree on that as well. We need to create the political will to make sure that we do have true immigration reform, so we don't have to deal, folks like myself at the local level, and have to carry out -- put the burden that we already have high assessments in northern Virginia. Our taxpayers are already drained, we're having to pay a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Mr. Tejada...

TEJADA: ... and we're trying to provide tax relief.

So we want to know, what to make sure that whatever the state is putting into place, it is funded. How much is this going to cost us in Virginia to implement this bill? We need a study to determine what the impact of that is going to be.

DOBBS: You need a study. Well, I appreciate you taking the time. I hope you'll come back, and we'll have a more comprehensive look at what you call comprehensive immigration reform. Will you do that?

TEJADA: I'd be delighted to attend your show if we can do it a balanced way, so we can talk about the... DOBBS: Well, we're going to do it our way...

TEJADA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: ... and, you know, what you call fair and balanced...

TEJADA: Well, sir...

DOBBS: ... you got to go over to the place over there, what is it, Fox that does that?

TEJADA: Sir, you -- Sir...

DOBBS: You know, we appreciate it.

TEJADA: Well, you have generated public opinion with the...

DOBBS: And if you want to have an honest discussion, you're welcome back any time. But you're not going to sit here and dictate the terms.

TEJADA: Well, sir...

DOBBS: We appreciate you for being here.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Come back any time you feel like it.

TEJADA: Balance in reporting is what we ask for.

DOBBS: I just ask for the truth and straight facts. No politics, no games. Thank you, Mr. Tejada.

Taking a look now at some of your thoughts, Duane DeSalvo from California wrote to say, "The Minuteman Project vigilantes? I call them patriots. While our President Bush is concerned about protecting other countries halfway around the world, groups like the Minuteman Project are doing his job here at home. Shame on you, Mr. President."

And Ronald in San Antonio, Texas, "If homeland security is responding to the Minutemen by adding 500 new agents, then I guess we should start Minutemen in Texas, New Mexico, and California as well."

Dave in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, "I find it ironic that when they put a feeding tube in Terri Schiavo, it is life support. But when a tube is put in the pope, it is for nourishment."

D.J. in St. Paul, Minnesota, "America's big three car makers, automakers, are struggling to stay in business, while foreign manufacturers continue to make inroads into the American marketplace. While we don't have much of a choice when it comes to consumer electronics, we do still have a choice when it comes to automobiles. When will Americans wake up and support American manufacturing when they have the opportunity?" And Mo Rahman in Miramar, Florida wrote in about last night's quote of the day, in which a Delta spokesman said work done in Canada was, in his judgment, part of Delta's domestic operation. "Lou, does this mean that there are now 50 contiguous states of the union, 48 lower states and Alaska connected by Canada? Hey, kids, don't study geography, and you might grow up to be a Delta Airlines executive."

We love hearing from you. Send us your thoughts at loudobbs@cnn.com. Each of you whose e-mail is read on this broadcast receives a copy of my book, "Exporting America."

And also, if you want our e-mail newsletter, sign up on our Web site, loudobbs.com.

A reminder to vote in our poll. We reported earlier about the millions of anchor babies born to illegal aliens in this country. Our poll question tonight, should anchor babies be allowed to petition, when they turn 21, to make the rest of their family legal?

Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up in just a few minutes.

Our quote of the day tonight from White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan speaking about the Minutemen Project in Arizona. McClellan said, "We don't want people operating outside the law. The president made that very clear last week." President Bush called the American citizens patrolling the border vigilantes, but the Minutemen Project supporters say they are simply taking part in a giant legal neighborhood watch scheme to help our Border Patrol agents apprehend those who are definitely operating outside the law. That is those crossing our borders illegally.

Well, my next guest calls some of our schools simply drop-out factories. I'll be talking with a professor from Harvard University, a professor of education, about a crisis in our public educational system. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Our next guest says he is alarmed by the high drop-out rate among Latinos, Hispanics and African-Americans in California's high schools.

Gary Orfield is the director of the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. The professor says the economic and social impact of this drop-out crisis is simply too enormous to ignore any longer. Professor Orfield joins us from Watertown, Massachusetts. Good to have you with us.

GARY ORFIELD, DIRECTOR OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT, HARVARD: Pleasure to be with you.

DOBBS: These dropout rates, I have to say, are without any doubt -- we knew they were bad. But to find out that the state of California is reporting 80 percent-plus graduation rates, when the facts are in the case of -- some cases, just barely over 50 percent for minority males in that state is shocking beyond belief.

What was your reaction as you saw the data?

ORFIELD: Well, this is a very depressing business because we've been looking at this data in a number of states, and we're finding all the states, with very few exceptions, are putting out funny numbers. They're saying almost everybody is graduating, when -- if you look at an urban high school, maybe the class that actually crosses across the stage to get the diplomas is one-third of the size of the one that entered four years earlier. So we're looking at how many kids are actually in each grade and looking at how many just disappear. And...

DOBBS: Professor, let me show you something, and our viewers listening and watching -- listening to you and watching you. Because when I talked with Jack O'Connell, the superintendent of education in California last night, this is what he had to say about tracking these young people, going to the very issue. We have sound on that. So if you would, this is Jack O'Connell, the superintendent. If you could...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK O'CONNELL, SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, CA: We don't know the exact dropout figure. Here in California, we do not have what we call a student identifier system. So many students leave a high school, transfer to another school and they do not inform the school from which they are leaving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: Jack O'Connell, superintendent of education, how do you react to what Mr. O'connell said?

ORFIELD: Well, it's kind of typical of what many states are saying. We know there is a problem. We don't think it's too big, but we don't have any numbers that are valid, and we're not about to get them in the near future. So very few states actually track their students to see who graduates. We actually tracked students for test scores, but we don't track them to see whether they graduate. And we find that in a few hundred urban high schools around the country, most of the kids just disappear and nobody knows what happens to them (UNINTELLIGIBLE) graduate.

DOBBS: Let me ask you this. We continue to study this. We know there's a problem. You have put the number much higher than other school systems. You say it isn't a large number, it's a huge number, in point of fact, isn't it professor. But when we talk to teacher, when we talk to parents and when we report on this subject, a number of things come back to us. Teachers who are not well trained to be teaching the subjects. Schools that are not well run, in point of fact. Just call it like it is. These are well-meaning and good people, and the lack of discipline and the teachers and the administrators are crying out for some way to take control of the educations they are running and in which they are teaching. Why isn't anyone dealing with these issues for the sake of these young people?

A generation could be lost here.

ORFIELD: I think that we're not deal with high school students seriously, and there are problems of discipline and order. But there are much bigger problems of overcrowded schools, teachers without experience. Teachers who leave for suburban schools because they are not supported. Lack of transition programs in the high school. Almost no counseling in the poor urban high schools. Lots of counseling in the suburban schools.

We've got a very, very unequal system of high school opportunity. If you go into the same -- what's supposed to be the same class...

DOBBS: Professor Orfield, I apologize. We are -- I'm just being given a hard rap as they say in the straight and we appreciate it. Would you come back next week and we can talk about this some more and focus on some issues that -- some of the solutions to these critical issues?

ORFIELD: I'd be delighted. Because I think people around the country need to realize about half of the black and Latino students in the country are disappearing from high school and nobody is paying very much attention.

DOBBS: Well, we're paying attention and we're delighted that you are. Thank you very much Professor Orfield.

Still ahead here, the results of our poll tonight, a preview of what's ahead tomorrow. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight -- 93 percent of you say anchor babies should not be allowed to petition to make the rest of their family legal U.S. citizens. Thanks for being with us.

Please join us here tomorrow. One of the leaders of the Minutemen Project in Arizona will be here. The same group that spurred the additional 500 border patrol agents there this week.

For all of us here good night from New York. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 30, 2005 - 18:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight, "Broken Borders": the federal government sending hundreds of extra border patrol agents to the border along Arizona. But is it simply a giant shell game, thanks to the people President Bush calls vigilantes? I'll be talking with a leading Arizona lawmaker. I'll also be debating a new law against illegal aliens in Virginia with a Latino lawmaker who says that law is simply political grandstanding.
Also tonight, "Anchor Babies": the scandal of the millions of babies born to illegal aliens in this country. We'll have a special report tonight on the babies born to be U.S. citizens with a right to bring their families to the United States and to give access to public benefits, all paid for by U.S. taxpayers.

And "Flunking Out": many of our public schools are nothing less than dropout factories. Minority students are failing the grade at an alarming rate, and our educators failing with them. And also deceiving in some cases, the public and taxpayers. My guest is a Harvard professor who says only bold reform can save our public education system.

ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS for news, debate and opinion tonight.

DOBBS: Good evening.

Also tonight, we'll have the latest for you on the Terri Schiavo case. We'll have a live report from outside her hospice in Florida.

In "Our Vanishing World," we are depleting our planet's resources at an alarming rate. We'll have that special report.

But first, the Department of Homeland Security today declared it's determined to gain operational control of this country's borders. The federal government is sending 500 additional border patrol agents to Arizona, the most vulnerable part of our border with Mexico. But critics say the government is simply sending agents to Arizona from other border states.

Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reports from southern Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just seven minutes into flight, a border patrol helicopter finds what it is looking for...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I've got bodies.

MESERVE: ... illegal aliens hiding in the desert scrub. Border patrol agent Brad Rubenoff (ph) jumps from the hovering chopper to round them up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Brad is away.

MESERVE: There are nine, including three women. They say they crossed the border two nights ago. They have walked almost 50 miles into the United States before being detected. After processing, they will be taken back.

JOHN KIMMEL, BORDER PATROL AGENT: They'll probably be back in Mexico by 4 or 5 this evening. It's now 12.

MESERVE (on camera): And then will they try to cross the border again?

KIMMEL: Probably this evening.

MESERVE (voice-over): With about half of the country's illegal immigration coming across the Arizona border, homeland security is injecting new resources into its year-old Arizona Border Control Initiative, or ABCI. Today the department announced a nearly 25 percent increase in the number of permanently assigned border patrol agents and the temporary deployment of 23 additional aircraft.

ROBERT BONNER, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: The Department of Homeland Security is determined to gain control of our borders. And we're going to do it, and we're going to keep at it until we get the job done.

T.J. BONNER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: I think it largely is a publicity stunt by the government. Sorry to say that, but I think the government is trying to pull a fast one on the public.

MESERVE (on camera): Though the Department of Homeland Security vehemently denies it, some believe that ABCI being augmented now to counter potential bad publicity from a protest action beginning Friday, the Minuteman Project.

(voice-over) Based in the legendary town of Tombstone, organizers expect as many as 1,500 volunteers. Stationed at intervals along 50 miles of the Mexico/Arizona border, they will attempt to detect and report anyone crossing illegally, to highlight what they perceive as the inadequacy of current border protection efforts.

CHRIS SIMCOX, MINUTEMAN PROJECT: We're a neighborhood watch group. Nothing more than a neighborhood watch group who are doing nothing but what the president and the Department of Homeland Security ask Americans to do. You can't find any more suspicious illegal activity in this country than coming across this border through our backyards.

MESERVE: Though even critics like the Minutemen welcome the bolstering of ABCI, they believe it will push illegal immigration elsewhere and divert border patrol resources at a time when the president's budget funds only 210 new agents for the entire country.

T.J. BONNER: They're essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul at a time when they should be hiring as many people as possible.

MESERVE: But border patrol pilot John Kimmel is more optimistic.

KIMMEL: I've done as much as one pilot can do. So I -- all of us are doing our parts, and it is making a difference.

MESERVE: Kimmel believes more agents will mean more arrests and more progress against the tide of illegal immigration.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, in the southern Arizona desert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: For its part, the government of Mexico doesn't recognize that its prerogatives and sovereignty stop at the border with this country. Mexico's foreign ministry today said Mexican consulates in Arizona will be filing criminal complaints against Minutemen supporters who help detain Mexican illegal aliens.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government is refusing to file any criminal complaints against the millions of Mexican citizens who break U.S. laws and enter this country illegally. Critics say this is nothing less than hypocrisy. Surely even the Mexican government must realize that laws cannot be enforced selectively.

As we reported, the Minuteman volunteers will begin their patrols the Arizona border this weekend. We'll have unique access to this story, to the volunteers, as they patrol our border. We'll have extensive coverage here on Monday. We'll also be reporting on any confrontation with protesters who say the volunteers are nothing less than vigilantes, as President Bush has called them.

Every year, almost 300,000 babies are born to illegal alien in this country. Those babies are called anchor babies because every one of them instantly becomes a U.S. citizen, anchoring them to the United States. And with that privilege comes access to this country's public benefits and the right to petition the government to make the rest of their family legal citizens.

Christine Romans has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in Arkansas, pregnant illegal aliens get free neonatal care for their babies who will be American citizens.

JULIE MUNSELL, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES: It costs about $1,800 for total prenatal care, and it costs a roughly that or more a day for one day of crisis care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

So we're trying to balance the cost. And good preventative health care, as far as we can tell, is almost immeasurable.

ROMANS: Illegal aliens are eligible for federal funds for prenatal care and childbirth, and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution says all persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States.

PETER SCHUCK, YALE LAW SCHOOL: At the margin, it certainly increases the desire of people to come here illegally, because it creates a benefit for them if they have their child in the United States.

ROMANS: Benefits like welfare, food stamps, school lunch programs. And free education. For example, an illegal couple in California with two anchor babies can get as much as $12,000 in public benefits.

MARK KIRKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: An enormous proportion, probably most of the costs of services provided to illegal alien families is because of the U.S.-born children that these illegals have.

ROMANS: The Urban Institute estimates there are three million so-called anchor babies and another 1.6 million children in this country illegally.

In Arizona, at the Maricopa County Medical Center, an anchor baby is born every three hours. Two out of three births are to illegal aliens, 2,900 each year. It's a huge part of the $28 million overall spent treating illegal aliens at just one hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's important to realize that whether those funds come from the federal government or whether they come from state -- from state government, it is all taxpayer money.

ROMANS: By law, emergency rooms cannot turn away illegal aliens for any reason, and hospitals are not required to ask if patients are illegal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Now Congress is expected to consider legislation this year that would deny automatic citizenship to anchor babies. Ireland did it last year. But, Lou, this has been tried before in the United States. It has always failed.

DOBBS: And what did Ireland do?

ROMANS: Ireland said that just because you are born in this country, if both of your parents are illegal does not automatically make you an Irish citizen.

DOBBS: Extraordinary. And in Maricopa County, Arizona, two out of three babies born, illegal?

ROMANS: At just one hospital. One every three hours.

DOBBS: Incredible. Christine Romans, thank you very much.

That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. The question tonight is, as you might guess, "Should anchor babies be allowed to petition when they turn 21 to make the rest of their family legal citizens of the United States?" Yes or no? Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results later in the broadcast, as always.

The invasion of illegal aliens into this country is a massive human tragedy, as well as a border security crisis. Many of those illegal aliens become victims of human traffickers and other criminals. Some illegal aliens even become sex slaves in this country.

Casey Wian reports from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not all of the illegal aliens sneaking across our borders seek work picking crops or washing dishes. A growing number are being forced to work as prostitutes or in sweat shops.

In San Diego, just across the border from Tijuana, federal and local law enforcement officials this week formed a human trafficking task force in an effort to crack down on the modern-day slave trade.

BONNIE DUMANIS, SAN DIEGO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Human trafficking is about buying and selling of people, usually women and young girls, for sex and/or labor exploitation. The Tijuana/San Diego connection is no longer undeniable. Like much of the crime we deal with within this region, the trafficking of human beings knows no borders.

WIAN: The State Department says nearly 20,000 people are now brought into the United States against their will each year. A University of Pennsylvania report estimates 750,000 women were trafficked into the U.S. as sex slaves in the past decade.

Since 2001, the Justice Department has prosecuted 198 human traffickers. A threefold increase over the previous four years. As of this month, the department was investigating another 213 suspected cases.

Human trafficking is often difficult to prosecute because victims are afraid, as in this case.

RICK CASTRO, SAN DIEGO COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF: And the trafficker brought her back in, caught her, brought her back in, and then beat her for several hours with a clothes hanger in front of all the young girls that were working for him. And every time he beat her, he was telling her, "This is what's going to happen to you if you decide to leave me." WIAN: San Diego becomes the 20th U.S. city with a human trafficking task force. The sheriff's department will train officers to recognize slave trade victims, and the local prosecutor promises stiff sentences for convicted traffickers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: According to the United Nations, human trafficking is now the third largest source of income for organized crime, behind only drugs and guns -- Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, what do the officials in San Diego or other California jurisdictions say when -- you are talking about open borders. It is not only the sex slave trade, as you are reporting here tonight. It is drugs. It is human trafficking. It is a human tragedy.

The open borders lobby and the local governments, as well as state governments and obviously our federal government, who are turning a blind eye to what is nothing less than a crisis. What do they say?

WIAN: Publicly, the local law enforcement officials in this area generally say it's a federal problem. They want the federal government to do its job, which, of course, as we all know, they are not doing a very good job of.

On this issue of human trafficking, they say they don't even have a good handle on the size of the problem because there hasn't been a lot of cooperation between local and federal officials on this issue. Some crimes that may be run of the mill -- may look like run-of-the- mill drug or prostitution crimes may actually involve human trafficking. That's why they want to coordinate their efforts and try to get a better handle on this and prosecute these traffickers -- Lou.

DOBBS: The only thing that's run of the mill right now is the failure of the federal government to enforce the border, to provide border security, and to continue to conduct what appears to be, instead of enforcement of border security, an all-out public relations campaign.

Casey Wian, thank you very much, reporting from Los Angeles.

Immigration officials in New York's Nassau County arrested 25 illegal aliens wanted for sex crimes. Nassau County police teamed up with federal immigration agents to make these arrests. An immigration official said some of the victims were as young as 9 years of age.

Police in Mexicali, Mexico, arrested four Iraqi men trying to enter the United States illegally. They were carrying phony Dutch passports. The four men were traveling with a woman who is a naturalized citizen of the United States. She is Iraqi born and the sister of one of the men arrested. Officials say they have not found any link to terrorism.

We'll have much more ahead here tonight about our broken borders and the impact on communities all across this country. As we reported, Virginia has just passed a law that prevents illegal aliens from receiving state benefits. Tonight in our "Face Off," I'll be debating with one Latino leader who calls this new law political grandstanding and suggests that local governments know better than state governments or even federal government about what should be done with illegal aliens.

Later, a rising movement in Arizona to make English the official language of that state. My guest is the lawmaker who started the movement.

Coming up next here, another court decision in the Terri Schiavo case tonight. Her parents say it is still not too late to save their daughter's life.

And a power vacuum within the Pentagon. Why a stream of high- ranking Pentagon officials are heading for the door and why they are difficult, very difficult, apparently, to replace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: A soldier who was killed in combat in Iraq two years ago is to be awarded this country's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. Sergeant 1st Class Paul Smith was killed as he manned a heavy machine gun in a battle with Iraqi forces. He is the first member of our military to receive the medal of honor in more than a decade.

Sergeant Smith's engineered battalion was serving with the 3rd Infantry Division during its advance into Baghdad. His actions are credited with saving the lives of at least 100 American soldiers. As many as 50 Iraqi troops were killed in that engagement. Sergeant Smith's family will receive his Medal of Honor from the president next week, exactly two years after Sergeant Smith was killed in combat.

While this country is fighting a war against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting a global war against radical Islamist terrorism, a number of critically important leadership positions at the Pentagon remain vacant. And even more senior officials are preparing to leave their posts.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now says his single biggest priority is filling the empty chairs that surround him. There are so many vacant jobs in the top tier of senior political appointees, the secretary issued a Rumsfeldian warning during a press conference.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: If you have a constitutional requirement for civilian control of the military, and you have 47 presidential appointees that are Senate confirmed, that is a very thin veneer of civilian control. STARR: And that led the four-star Marine standing next to him, Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to make his own extraordinary remark.

PETER PACE, VICE CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: No matter how thin the veneer, your military is 100 percent civilian controlled. An important point for anybody listening. One hundred percent civilian controlled is your military.

STARR: Pace says the only civilian who really matters, of course, is President Bush. But there are a lot of empty chairs.

Paul Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld's deputy, is going to head the World Bank. Douglas Feith, the head of Rumsfeld's policy shop, has resigned to return to the private sector.

There is no secretary of the Air Force. Secretary James Roche left weeks ago, as did the acting secretary. The Defense Department is now overseeing key Air Force spending. There is also no permanent head of the National Reconnaissance Office, which runs the nation's spy satellite programs.

The Pentagon doesn't have an acquisition chief right now, the person who oversees some $70 billion a year in spending.

Rumsfeld says it's tough to get people to join the government. Tough to get them through the security and ethics clearances, and even tougher to get them approved.

RUMSFELD: There are delays in the Senate confirmation process, in some cases as long as a year, or a year and a quarter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And Lou, one more top job, the top military job, is about to become open as well. General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to retire this summer. A leading contender to replace him, General Peter Pace -- Lou.

DOBBS: Barbara, obviously, manpower, talent, is in short supply at the Pentagon. Not only are -- is the U.S. military missing its recruiting goals this year, the National Guard, the Reservists in difficulty. Reservists raising the eligibility age to 39.

Now unable to fill apparently senior positions, there is a broader -- there is a broader arc, if you will, to this story. What is going on?

STARR: Lou, there's an awful lot going on. Of course, many of these cases very, very different.

The recruiting, of course, as you say, a very troubling situation for many top leaders here. But what appears to be going on at the Pentagon is more of a political situation behind the headlines in Washington. This is the second Bush administration. An awful lot of people who have been here are tired and exhausted after the last four years. They want to get back to the private sector, get back to their families, make some money, if you will.

It's hard to get people confirmed by the Senate. An awful lot of jobs have been -- that are Senate confirmable have been held by the Senate that people haven't been confirmed. They are starting over in some of those jobs. Rumsfeld is very frustrated -- Lou.

DOBBS: Barbara Starr, thank you, reporting from the Pentagon.

Venezuela today ignored U.S. concerns and pressed ahead with a deal to buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons from Spain. Spain is selling Venezuela eight warships and 12 transport aircraft. Venezuela also planning to buy 100,000 assault rifles from Russia, although the Venezuelan army has only 30,000 soldiers.

The United States is increasingly concerned about Venezuela's attempted military build-up. The United States says Venezuela's left wing government is obviously trying to destabilize Latin America through its support of Marxist terrorists.

In Russia, a parliament meeting today turned into an all-out brawl. The fight started when members of the liberal democratic party were barred from a local election. On their way out of the building, a shouting match ensued with a rival party. It quickly escalated into a good old-fashioned fist fight.

Vladimir Baranovsky, one of those at the center of today's fisticuffs, is well know for his public outbreaks. A few years ago grabbed a female deputy by the neck and pulled her hair. On another occasion, he threw orange juice at a member of the opposition.

Democracy beginning to work apparently in Russia, at least in limited confines.

Coming up next, planet Earth on the eve of disaster. A disturbing new report today on the delicate balance between the human beings and the world in which we live. Our special report is next.

And then, a federal court decides whether to allow a new hearing in the Terri Schiavo case. We'll have the latest on this tragic case from Florida.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Tonight, a disturbing new report on the environment, on the health of planet Earth. Human beings have disrupted ecosystems more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than at any other point in history. Now a team of scientists is warning that our food, water and energy supplies, all vital, of course, to human existence, are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Lisa Sylvester has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Human beings are spending the Earth's natural resources faster than it's being replenished. A quarter of marine fish are over-harvested. Water withdrawals from rivers and lakes have doubled in the past 40 years, and a quarter of the land surface is already cultivated.

The new report, backed by nearly 1,400 scientists, says this trend is unsustainable.

ROBERT WATSON, WORLD BANK CHIEF SCIENTIST: If we continue business as usual, and that is over-exploiting our natural resources, we'll truly undermine many services we are critically dependent on.

SYLVESTER: Humans will be at an increased risk of malaria, cholera and new diseases. Deforestation could lead to drought. Fresh water could run out. And 25 percent of mammals could face extinction.

The problem, an exploding population made worse by consumers' increasing demand for more cars, bigger homes and added convenience. New consumer markets like China are adding to the strain.

JAY KELLER, POPULATION CONNECTION: If we'd like to have a planet where everyone lives as well as most Americans live, it certainly could not sustain the six billion people that we have now, much less seven, eight, nine billion that we're heading toward.

SYLVESTER: The United States is facing a diminished quality of life.

ROSEMARY JENKS, NUMBERS USA: We have an incredible quality of life here, and we will see it diminishing as we spend more time in our cars getting to work every day, as we have to hustle and bustle with more and more people.

SYLVESTER: The country is already showing signs of wear and tear. During parts of the year, the Colorado River dries up before it reaches the ocean. And fertilizers in the Mississippi have created dead zones where fish cannot live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYLVESTER: The scientists are urging world leaders to factor in the impact of the environment when they make economic and political decisions and to not favor corporations at the expense of the Earth -- Lou.

DOBBS: Lisa, effectively, the study suggests two-thirds of he world's resources have already been consumed.

SYLVESTER: That is indeed correct. And especially in areas, Lou, of fisheries and fresh water. These are two areas that are of particular concern to scientists. And as far as the trend that we're continuing, they say it simply is not sustainable -- Lou. DOBBS: Lisa, thank you very much. Lisa Sylvester reporting from Washington.

Coming up next here, Terri Schiavo's parents making yet another appeal to the courts to save their daughter's life. We'll have the court's latest decision and the latest report for you from Pinellas Park, Florida.

Also ahead, a new law cracking down on benefits for illegal aliens in the state of Virginia. In our "Face Off" tonight, I'll be debating with a Latino lawmaker who says the law is simply political grandstanding, that local governments know better than states and the federal government how to deal with the issue.

And the fight to make English the official language of at least one state in this country. That story and more still ahead here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: A federal appeals court has denied another petition from Terri Schiavo's parents to rehear their case. Now a spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler say the couple plans to appeal once again to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bob Franken joins me now from outside Terri Schiavo's hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Lou, even though the family says it's not giving up the fight, there's a genuine impression that the family is resigned to the fact that time is running out on Terri Schiavo. And, of course, time is running out on Terri Schiavo.

That was quite apparent when Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is their newest ally, returned to this area after an unsuccessful day of lobbying for some sort of action at the state level, action that he said he was not promised either from Governor Jeb Bush or from legislative leaders.

Afterwards, Jesse Jackson came out and he spoke about all the futility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: It seems at every turn these legal doors are being closed. Of course there is the moral, ethical issue on the one hand. We have food and water. On the other hand, Terri needs food and water, and we will not offer it to her. I mean, that is the moral and ethical dimension of this that is unjustifiable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And even with this frenzy, Lou, of legal activity and political activity, it cannot overcome the reality that time is running out for Terri Schiavo -- Lou.

DOBBS: Bob, the situation there, it seems there are fewer protesters than there have been at other occasions of your reporting. Jesse Jackson's assertion of himself into this case, now two days ago. What has been the reaction there amongst the demonstrators. What is the mood there, if you will, among those standing vigil?

FRANKEN: Well, among those standing vigil here, it seems to be more somber than anything else. However, the police yesterday received a couple of bomb threats against the hospice. And they were concerned enough, after their search, that they have now instituted a policy that any vehicle that comes down this road must submit to a search. There are five police at the top of this road who are making sure nobody goes by without a thorough search of the car.

DOBBS: Bob, thank you very much. Bob Franken reporting from Pinellas Park.

Now here are some of the other important stories we're that following tonight. Pope John Paul II is now being fed through a tube in his nose. Doctors trying to speed his recovery. He made an appearance at the window of his study today, frail, some said pained, and obviously, in discomfort. The pope has been hospitalized twice over the past few weeks. He underwent a tracheotomy for respiratory problems. Vatican officials say that his recovery is progressing.

A former top official for the Boy Scouts pleaded guilty today of one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. As part of the plea, Douglas Smith Jr. will face 5 to 20 years in prison and may also be fined $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for July 12.

And another strong aftershock hit Indonesia today, almost 48 hours to the minute after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake created this damage.

The United States and the United Nations say at least 500 people were killed. Those are still estimates. Indonesia is recovering from the earthquake and tsunami in December, which killed 174,000 people in Indonesia alone.

My guest tonight has proposed legislation in Arizona to make English the official language of the state. That bill has passed through the state House and now awaits approval by the state Senate. If passed, residents of Arizona would vote on that measure in 2006. Arizona state representative Russell Pearce says making English the official language of the state would promote unity and he joins us tonight from Phoenix.

Good to have you with us, sir.

RUSSELL PEARCE, (R) ARIZONA STATE HOUSE: Thank you very having me, Lou.

DOBBS: What is the reason? It seems only reasonable, I think, to most people that English would be the official language in this country. Why is it necessary, if you will, in Arizona, to codify it?

PEARCE: Well, you are right. I thought our founding fathers decided that some 200 years ago. But we have never been overwhelmed as we are today with mass immigration. And we've never been an English-only nation. But we should not be an English optional nation.

It is important for everybody to understand that we speak English and government business, official, should be done in English. It makes all kind of exceptions where necessary, where reasonable. And it doesn't affect private business or private citizens at all. It's simply the right thing to do.

DOBBS: For example, other measures that have gone to the issue of creating English language-only ballots have been deemed not to conform to the 1964 Voting Rights Act. What would your legislation do in that regard?

PEARCE: Well -- and that's a good question. It does conform.

In fact, I've had several constitutional attorneys look at this. We have a provision right in the referendum that makes it very clear that this would not usurp federal law. We understand that we have to comply with federal law on those issues. And we have a provision in this ballot that any piece the court deems inappropriate would not be implemented but the rest would be.

So, this will be found constitutional. It's a well-written document. And it just simply, Lou, you can't come to America and think you have a right to demand services in another language. We're English speaking and -- in terms as a nation. So this codifies the official business must be done in English.

DOBBS: One of the things -- well, there are a number of things. Let me first turn to something we reported yesterday, which is, for example, a neighboring state New Mexico, reaching out to Mexico to bring in teachers for its bilingual education program. That is not to teach Spanish, but rather to teach bilingually.

Is that also the case in Arizona? That there is basically education in another language going on within your public school system?

PEARCE: You know, there is. But it shouldn't be. We passed in Arizona a couple of years ago proposition 203. Proposition 203 was overwhelmingly supported by the people of Arizona. And it said, you will conduct education in immersion. There will be no bilingual classes. That's the law of the land.

And again, it's foolish to think that people are going to learn English when you continue to facilitate their other language. Just like having a teenage son. Give him keys, allowance, room and board, a car, there's no need for him to go out and get a job.

DOBBS: A number of our viewers here pointed out, Mr. Pearce, it is almost impossible to learn language A while speaking language B, and that's their concern. The number of teachers who wrote in to say to us that bilingual education is and has been always has been a fraud perpetrated against those who it is intended to help and it's a shame that it continues.

I do want to come back to your legislation that you are sponsoring. In 1988, as you well know, Arizona passed an official language measure that the Supreme Court in Arizona held unconstitutional because of violation of freedom of speech. How do you deal with that issue as well within what you are doing?

PEARCE: Well, this is a different issue altogether. That one was written as an English only. And it simply, they felt that it restricted the communication to anybody needing a service. This one doesn't do that. This is official English. It does not restrict communications. We've written it carefully with that in mind. We've resolved that problem.

But you know, do your other issue, too. It's every study of the world shows that you -- that bilingual education absolutely is bad for everybody, in terms of them learning and assimilating and becoming prosperous in a nation. So you are right. This pandering has got to stop. New Mexico is like many other states. We continue to pander while America is being destroyed because we refuse to recognize what's good for America.

DOBBS: One of the events that will take place, as you well know in your state in two days, the Minuteman Project, controversial. The president himself has referred to them as vigilantes. Others have referred to them as undocumented border patrolmen. Others as patriots. What is your view?

PEARCE: Well, we tease about being undocumented border patrol agents, because that's the class people would like to play when it comes to people violating our laws, called illegal aliens when they give them this soft drawing (ph). But you know, it's unfortunate that the president would make such a statement. Because of the malfeasance, the gross negligence on the part of the U.S. government. U.S.E. title 9, their No. 1 job is to protect our borders from invasion. And according to "Time" magazine and others, 3 to 4 million people come across the borders this next year. That's an invasion.

We wouldn't need to be down there if our government did its job of protecting America.

DOBBS: Russell Pearce, we appreciate you being here, representative of the state legislature, state of Arizona. Thank you.

A new study tonight finds teenagers in this country have made significant progress in several important areas over the past decade. A good news story tonight about young people in this country. The adolescent and teenage birth rate has fallen by nearly half since 1992. At that time, there were 20 births for every 1,000 girls in the country. In 2004, that rate has dropped dramatically to 11 births for every 1,000 girls.

Crimes committed against young people have also fallen and fallen dramatically. In 1994, there were 120 crimes committed for every 1,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17. Today, that number is only 45 for every 1,000 children in that age group. Some good news for our young people and for the country itself.

Coming up next here, the fight to stop illegal aliens from receiving benefits that are designed for U.S. citizens. I'll be debating in our face-off tonight with a Latino leader who says a new law, quote, "fans the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment," end quote.

And the controversy over whether California high schools are so- called drop-out factories for minority students. The author of an important new study is our guest.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: As we reported last night, Virginia Governor Mark Warner signed a measure that would limit public benefits such as Medicaid and welfare for illegal aliens. Among those opposed to that bill, and now law, is my next guest. Arlington County board member Walter Tejada says the bill, quote, "fans the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment," end quote. He also says there is no evidence illegal aliens are abusing the system.

Walter Tejada joins us tonight from our Washington studios. Good to have you with us.

WALTER TEJADA, MEMBER, ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD: Thank you for inviting me.

DOBBS: The fact is that it's clearcut that Medicaid and other services are provided to illegal aliens. Why do you resist that suggestion that taxpayers are providing benefits for illegal aliens?

TEJADA: First, Mr. Dobbs, no human being is illegal. And the fact is that we have laws already in the books, called federal law, that prohibits undocumented persons from receiving public benefits. What we have in Virginia is a redundant law for something that already exists. Undocumented persons do not qualify, yesterday, not today or tomorrow, to receive any public benefits such as Medicaid or otherwise.

DOBBS: So let's start out with a couple of things. No person in this country is illegal? Sir?

TEJADA: There's no human being who is illegal, Mr. Dobbs. And what we're talking about are human beings, your next-door neighbor your co-worker, your next-door shopper when you go to the mall, and your classmates.

So what we're talking about here specifically is whether undocumented persons are receiving benefits or not. The fact is, there's no evidence to show that they are in Virginia.

DOBBS: Well, there's no evidence to show that illegal aliens are in Virginia?

TEJADA: Sir, those are your words. What I said, there's no evidence to show that undocumented workers are utilizing public benefits. There is -- we've asked for that information. Let's see it. The fact is, they are undocumented persons, already do not qualify for receiving benefits such as public benefits.

DOBBS: So let's go to a couple points. And if you don't mind, let's just you and I try, irrespective of the fact you think I'm anti- immigrant, which I assure you I'm not, but I am absolutely pro-truth and honesty.

An illegal alien is one who crosses our borders illegally, who is in this country illegally. Now, that is a person I would refer to as an illegal alien. It does not make them evil, but it does make them lawbreakers. It does, by definition, make them illegal.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Secondly, secondly, the fact is that the documentation of the cost for Medicaid services in the Commonwealth of Virginia is clear. You are aware of it. And you certainly, because you are urging local control over this issue, you must know your community very well. You were a state director of LULAC, for example. You know your community, Latino, legal and illegal, native born, in the state of Virginia. Do you not?

TEJADA: Sir, first, these are human beings we are talking about.

DOBBS: I've acceded to that. You don't need to keep repeating it.

TEJADA: Well, you know...

DOBBS: We wouldn't be talking about them if they weren't people, human beings.

TEJADA: Well, sir, I agree with you that you are anti-immigrant, absolutely. You have made a way to flame this kind of discussion all the time, not allowing folks an opportunity to allow you to provide balance in your stories.

The fact is that immigrants contribute to the fiber of this country every day. We have $421 billion, with a B...

DOBBS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Mr. Tejada, I have never denied there's a contribution to the country. I've only tried to point out that corporations and businesses and employees are exploiting cheap labor. And the fact of the matter is, they are exploiting the very people you say you want to represent. They're exploiting the people you said you did represent when you were the director of LULAC.

You continue to create a fiction about me being anti-immigrant? I'm pro-immigrant.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: I'm anti-illegal immigration, and I'm anti, anti, positioning and posturing, like the kind that you're carrying out right now.

The reality is, taxpayers are paying for the services. And you suggest they are not? Mr. Tejada, you are far, far too intelligent to expect any of us to buy that.

TEJADA: Sir, I am proud of my service with the Legal (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Latin American Citizens. It's a great organization.

DOBBS: I agree with you.

TEJADA: The fact of the matter...

DOBBS: It's a terrific organization.

TEJADA: The fact of the matter is, in providing balanced journalism, sir, I think it's important that you also highlight the positive contributions that immigrants make day in and day out to this community, to this nation. If we were talking a few years ago, we'd be talking about the Irish, we'd be talking about the Polish, we'd be talking about the Italians.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: The Irish, the Poles, the Italians...

TEJADA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: ... Mr. Tejada, as you know, as a student of history and a very bright and educated man, came through Ellis Island, didn't they?

TEJADA: Sir, this is part what I mean. You don't allow a balanced journalism in your show. Last night, you had three great guests, and you wouldn't allow them to elaborate.

But I would say to this, what we need in this country is true, comprehensive immigration reform, in that we all agree, I think. I think you will agree on that as well. We need to create the political will to make sure that we do have true immigration reform, so we don't have to deal, folks like myself at the local level, and have to carry out -- put the burden that we already have high assessments in northern Virginia. Our taxpayers are already drained, we're having to pay a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Mr. Tejada...

TEJADA: ... and we're trying to provide tax relief.

So we want to know, what to make sure that whatever the state is putting into place, it is funded. How much is this going to cost us in Virginia to implement this bill? We need a study to determine what the impact of that is going to be.

DOBBS: You need a study. Well, I appreciate you taking the time. I hope you'll come back, and we'll have a more comprehensive look at what you call comprehensive immigration reform. Will you do that?

TEJADA: I'd be delighted to attend your show if we can do it a balanced way, so we can talk about the... DOBBS: Well, we're going to do it our way...

TEJADA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: ... and, you know, what you call fair and balanced...

TEJADA: Well, sir...

DOBBS: ... you got to go over to the place over there, what is it, Fox that does that?

TEJADA: Sir, you -- Sir...

DOBBS: You know, we appreciate it.

TEJADA: Well, you have generated public opinion with the...

DOBBS: And if you want to have an honest discussion, you're welcome back any time. But you're not going to sit here and dictate the terms.

TEJADA: Well, sir...

DOBBS: We appreciate you for being here.

TEJADA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

DOBBS: Come back any time you feel like it.

TEJADA: Balance in reporting is what we ask for.

DOBBS: I just ask for the truth and straight facts. No politics, no games. Thank you, Mr. Tejada.

Taking a look now at some of your thoughts, Duane DeSalvo from California wrote to say, "The Minuteman Project vigilantes? I call them patriots. While our President Bush is concerned about protecting other countries halfway around the world, groups like the Minuteman Project are doing his job here at home. Shame on you, Mr. President."

And Ronald in San Antonio, Texas, "If homeland security is responding to the Minutemen by adding 500 new agents, then I guess we should start Minutemen in Texas, New Mexico, and California as well."

Dave in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, "I find it ironic that when they put a feeding tube in Terri Schiavo, it is life support. But when a tube is put in the pope, it is for nourishment."

D.J. in St. Paul, Minnesota, "America's big three car makers, automakers, are struggling to stay in business, while foreign manufacturers continue to make inroads into the American marketplace. While we don't have much of a choice when it comes to consumer electronics, we do still have a choice when it comes to automobiles. When will Americans wake up and support American manufacturing when they have the opportunity?" And Mo Rahman in Miramar, Florida wrote in about last night's quote of the day, in which a Delta spokesman said work done in Canada was, in his judgment, part of Delta's domestic operation. "Lou, does this mean that there are now 50 contiguous states of the union, 48 lower states and Alaska connected by Canada? Hey, kids, don't study geography, and you might grow up to be a Delta Airlines executive."

We love hearing from you. Send us your thoughts at loudobbs@cnn.com. Each of you whose e-mail is read on this broadcast receives a copy of my book, "Exporting America."

And also, if you want our e-mail newsletter, sign up on our Web site, loudobbs.com.

A reminder to vote in our poll. We reported earlier about the millions of anchor babies born to illegal aliens in this country. Our poll question tonight, should anchor babies be allowed to petition, when they turn 21, to make the rest of their family legal?

Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up in just a few minutes.

Our quote of the day tonight from White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan speaking about the Minutemen Project in Arizona. McClellan said, "We don't want people operating outside the law. The president made that very clear last week." President Bush called the American citizens patrolling the border vigilantes, but the Minutemen Project supporters say they are simply taking part in a giant legal neighborhood watch scheme to help our Border Patrol agents apprehend those who are definitely operating outside the law. That is those crossing our borders illegally.

Well, my next guest calls some of our schools simply drop-out factories. I'll be talking with a professor from Harvard University, a professor of education, about a crisis in our public educational system. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Our next guest says he is alarmed by the high drop-out rate among Latinos, Hispanics and African-Americans in California's high schools.

Gary Orfield is the director of the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. The professor says the economic and social impact of this drop-out crisis is simply too enormous to ignore any longer. Professor Orfield joins us from Watertown, Massachusetts. Good to have you with us.

GARY ORFIELD, DIRECTOR OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT, HARVARD: Pleasure to be with you.

DOBBS: These dropout rates, I have to say, are without any doubt -- we knew they were bad. But to find out that the state of California is reporting 80 percent-plus graduation rates, when the facts are in the case of -- some cases, just barely over 50 percent for minority males in that state is shocking beyond belief.

What was your reaction as you saw the data?

ORFIELD: Well, this is a very depressing business because we've been looking at this data in a number of states, and we're finding all the states, with very few exceptions, are putting out funny numbers. They're saying almost everybody is graduating, when -- if you look at an urban high school, maybe the class that actually crosses across the stage to get the diplomas is one-third of the size of the one that entered four years earlier. So we're looking at how many kids are actually in each grade and looking at how many just disappear. And...

DOBBS: Professor, let me show you something, and our viewers listening and watching -- listening to you and watching you. Because when I talked with Jack O'Connell, the superintendent of education in California last night, this is what he had to say about tracking these young people, going to the very issue. We have sound on that. So if you would, this is Jack O'Connell, the superintendent. If you could...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK O'CONNELL, SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, CA: We don't know the exact dropout figure. Here in California, we do not have what we call a student identifier system. So many students leave a high school, transfer to another school and they do not inform the school from which they are leaving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: Jack O'Connell, superintendent of education, how do you react to what Mr. O'connell said?

ORFIELD: Well, it's kind of typical of what many states are saying. We know there is a problem. We don't think it's too big, but we don't have any numbers that are valid, and we're not about to get them in the near future. So very few states actually track their students to see who graduates. We actually tracked students for test scores, but we don't track them to see whether they graduate. And we find that in a few hundred urban high schools around the country, most of the kids just disappear and nobody knows what happens to them (UNINTELLIGIBLE) graduate.

DOBBS: Let me ask you this. We continue to study this. We know there's a problem. You have put the number much higher than other school systems. You say it isn't a large number, it's a huge number, in point of fact, isn't it professor. But when we talk to teacher, when we talk to parents and when we report on this subject, a number of things come back to us. Teachers who are not well trained to be teaching the subjects. Schools that are not well run, in point of fact. Just call it like it is. These are well-meaning and good people, and the lack of discipline and the teachers and the administrators are crying out for some way to take control of the educations they are running and in which they are teaching. Why isn't anyone dealing with these issues for the sake of these young people?

A generation could be lost here.

ORFIELD: I think that we're not deal with high school students seriously, and there are problems of discipline and order. But there are much bigger problems of overcrowded schools, teachers without experience. Teachers who leave for suburban schools because they are not supported. Lack of transition programs in the high school. Almost no counseling in the poor urban high schools. Lots of counseling in the suburban schools.

We've got a very, very unequal system of high school opportunity. If you go into the same -- what's supposed to be the same class...

DOBBS: Professor Orfield, I apologize. We are -- I'm just being given a hard rap as they say in the straight and we appreciate it. Would you come back next week and we can talk about this some more and focus on some issues that -- some of the solutions to these critical issues?

ORFIELD: I'd be delighted. Because I think people around the country need to realize about half of the black and Latino students in the country are disappearing from high school and nobody is paying very much attention.

DOBBS: Well, we're paying attention and we're delighted that you are. Thank you very much Professor Orfield.

Still ahead here, the results of our poll tonight, a preview of what's ahead tomorrow. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight -- 93 percent of you say anchor babies should not be allowed to petition to make the rest of their family legal U.S. citizens. Thanks for being with us.

Please join us here tomorrow. One of the leaders of the Minutemen Project in Arizona will be here. The same group that spurred the additional 500 border patrol agents there this week.

For all of us here good night from New York. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.

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