"AP-RICHMOND, Va. -- Despite the Pentagon's misgivings, U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Va., has not abandoned his idea of having troops stationed along U.S. borders to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants, drugs and terrorists.

Goode contends if the nation can defend the borders of Afghanistan, South Korea and Iraq, it should be willing to ensure the security of its own borders.

"Is that not peculiar, to say the least? Is it not ironic at least?"

Goode said he is intent on getting the security measure passed.

"Continuing to gain support for it brings more attention to the issue," he said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I suspect more American people support having troops on the border today than they did two years ago, or three."

Goode's plan advanced through the House last year as an amendment to a major defense bill but died in the Senate.

This year, the House approved the measure again in May as an amendment to a new defense bill. The provision's future is uncertain, however, because the Senate's version of the underlying defense bill does not include it.

Senate and House negotiators began meeting before last week's Fourth of July recess to seek a compromise on the underlying bill.

Meanwhile, Goode's proposal has drawn fire from critics from the left who view it as extreme.

The Pentagon has said it already has the authority to use troops at borders under the Homeland Security Act, and critics contend the proposal is anti-immigrant.

The proposal was "not intended to secure our border, it is intended to affect immigration and to intimidate the millions of Mexican-Americans and Latinos that live in our nation's border region," Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., said.

As for the criticism, Goode replied, "That's a way to mush over the issue, to cloud it up."

Some groups concerned about immigration issues disagree strongly with the idea of stationing military troops on the border.

"Putting troops on the border isn't going to solve the root causes of undocumented immigration," said Michele Waslin of the National Council of La Raza, a national Hispanic organization.

Timothy H. Edgar of the American Civil Liberties Union said it would be wrong for the military to become enmeshed in civilian law enforcement. He questioned whether Goode's proposal was more a political statement than a serious legislative effort.

A group called Federation for American Immigration Reform, however, praised Goode's plan.

"If Congress can't muster the political will to protect the public from those who wish to do us harm, they might as well pack up their bags and head home," said FAIR spokesman David Ray.

"You've had very few members of Congress who've shown the visceral fortitude to take this issue on, like Congressman Goode has," Ray said." (Hampton Roads Daily Press, July 7, 2003)