Because once you are at the border, you are briefed about OTMs, MS-13s and SIAs. And you're warned that no lights are allowed since it sort of draws unwanted attention from the federales, armed men with anger issues.

For the acronym-deficient:

An OTM is an illegal immigrant whose background is Other Than Mexican.

The MS-13s are El Salvadorian gang members with the MS, meaning Mara Salvatrucha. Mara stands for "gang" and Salvatrucha is Spanish slang for being alert, vigilant and ready. The 13 comes from the Los Angeles area and demonstrates an alliance with the Mexican mafia, a brutal prison gang.

Finally there are the SIAs (Special Interest Aliens), foreign nationals from countries with a known al-Qaida presence. Describing them is the easy part; dissecting their intentions is another story.

I got a firsthand look at the comings and goings along the Texas-Mexico border on a recent drive-by viewing with the Texas Border Patrol. Border security is an easy policy issue that cannot rationally be attacked.

This is not "Houston, we've got a problem"; this is a regional occurrence with a national impact.

Texas currently is a gateway for MS-13 into the United States, although their final destination is not always Texas. They are spread throughout the United States. Law enforcement has to deal with them in places like Virginia and our nation's capital. They follow a simple model -- migrate to where you already have a foothold.

The OTMs and SIAs are watered-down versions of the MS-13s in terms of known violence. Their mystery is shrouded in their intent.

The only other illegals left who come en masse and sans acronyms are Mexicans. But don't look for the Mexican government to offer a solution. Neither will you find President Vicente Fox standing at the border shouting to the Americans to "let my people go."

Fox's policy is "see you later." For Fox, immigration is economic development; the largest single source of income in his country comes from Mexicans living in the United States sending cash home. Illegal immigration exorcises his political demons -- abysmal poverty and a languishing market.

Yes, standing at the border watching the illegals through night-vision goggles confirms that this is a complex problem with no simple solutions.

No question, there need to be additional Border Patrol agents. But it takes time to recruit, train, equip and field them. All of which comes with a price tag that too many elected officials seem unwilling to cover.

Have they forgotten the latest little audio tape that Osama bin Laden had delivered by donkey?

Mexican human smuggling organizations can charge individuals from Middle Eastern countries $25,000 for safe passage into the United States. And none of these troublemakers are the good guys -- members of al-Qaida, MS-13s, OTMs and SIAs all have shady intent.

The threat to our national security and way of life is real and the threat is urgent. It is out there, somewhere in the heartland. What happens at the border never stays at the border. And it may very well be coming to a neighborhood near you.