"Dumping Ground" is a long article on "Other Than Mexicans", aka OTMs. Since there are no detention spaces to hold them, they're given a notice to appear and dropped off at the bus station. And, needless to say, they're never heard from again. It contains this:

Such a situation has caused grumbling in Washington, particularly among Texas' delegation to the House of Representatives, where 24 of the 32 members - including Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, who also represents San Angelo - signed a letter to President Bush urging action along the Texas-Mexico border.

''The influx of OTMs into our Texas communities is an immediate threat and an embarrassment,'' the letter states.

The growing problem along the border is a top priority among the House's leadership, Conaway said, adding that representatives from across the country are eager to pass legislation before Congress recesses in November.

Likewise, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's office said she supports allowing local police to have the authority to arrest and detain illegal immigrants, rather than keeping that solely in the hands of the federal government.

Hutchison will use San Angelo as a ''glaring example of when government fails its people'' in a meeting next week with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, said Chris Paulitz, a spokesman for the senator.

Such a porous immigration system is dangerous, he said.

''Any of these (disaster) scenarios you can imagine, a terrorist has thought the same thing,'' Paulitz said. ''This is a real threat to our national security.''