In the post-9/11 world in which we all live, security is the name of the game. Now, folks living in South Dakota may not feel any border anxiety (except when it comes to keeping out those pesky Nebraskans), but Ed Board knows better.

With as many as 500,000 illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in the past year, Ed Board can’t help but wonder if al-Qaida hasn’t seized the opportunity. It’s a scary thought, but not out of the realm of possibility.

Disturbing though this thought may be, improvements have been made. Ed Board does applaud President Bush for his decision to throw out the old “catch and release” policy. Under this program, Border Patrol officers had not been detaining illegals, but instead released them with instruction to appear in court.

That’s the Steven Colbert equivalent of a severe wagging of the finger. Only 25 percent of those issued court dates actually showed up. Don’t bother to get out your calculators; Ed Board will break it down. That means of the illegal immigrants apprehended by the Border Patrol, 75 percent just disappeared in the United States!

Ed Board is also heartened by the legislation signed last October by Bush, increasing border security funding by a whopping $210 million. But, throwing money at the problem isn’t necessarily going to solve it.

The size of the U.S. Border Patrol today is three times what it was 10 years ago. Vigilante civilian groups like the Minute Men also keep watch and attempt to prevent anyone from crossing.

But, as long as employers in our country continue to knowingly hire illegal workers, then our neighbors to the south will continue to search for (and find) gaps in the 200,000 mile border.

The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that many of the contracted companies rebuilding in New Orleans are hiring illegal immigrants and paying them next to nothing.

There are fines ranging anywhere from $250 to $10,000 written into INS laws for employers who have knowingly hired illegal aliens, but they are normally used as threats and very rarely enforced.

Until the government stops wagging the finger and starts cracking the whip, employers of illegal immigrants will have no incentive to change their hiring practices.

Ed Board won’t be holding our collective breath, however. Employers love cheap labor, Americans love cheap stuff, and it would be an unimaginable feat to try and deport the 11 million illegal aliens already in the United States today.

So, Ed Board would like to conclude by offering a tip of the hat to the 11,000 border agents who are trying to maintain our nation’s security, because they’ve got a big job on their hands.