That’s why I am dumbfounded over what Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said over the weekend. Chertoff said he has no intention of spending money to secure our southern border because the Senate failed to pass the administration’s immigration reform bill.

Talk about petty and juvenile! Chertoff said it’s up to Congress to act, not him. So why do we need a Department of Homeland Security? This is further evidence that the Bush administration cares less about protecting us from immigrant invaders than it does advancing some sociological or political agenda.

The administration promised security first if the bill was passed. Few believed them and with Chertoff’s remarks, I believe them even less. And the worst excuse of all for not building the fence? Chertoff says it would bust the budget. Is he kidding? This administration has spent more on new and old programs than any Republican administration in memory. Meanwhile, the threat to our national security continues.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.