Borderline insanity.

• Position: Bill Clinton on illegal immigration - Editorial

Bill Clinton is cracking down on the weakest members in our midst - illegal immigrants. Using the World Trade Center bombing as a pretext, he asked Congress in late July for a series of repressive measures that would have made Ronald Reagan and Ed Meese blush.

Clinton's proposal calls for instant, on-the-spot, on-the-border hearings for immigrants seeking asylum. There will be no time for the immigrant to prepare a case - or consult with counsel. If the Immigration and Naturalization Service officer hearing the claim decides unilaterally that it has no basis, then the immigrant has only a limited opportunity to appeal before he or she is sent packing.

The bill would also expand the INS's power to snoop, authorizing it to "intercept wire, electronic, and oral communications" of persons involved in smuggling illegal aliens. This is all we need: another spy agency. Soon, no doubt, anyone sympathetic to the plight of undocumented workers and asylum seekers will become fair game for the INS eavesdroppers.

Clinton's proposal would give other high-tech toys to the INS, including sensors. And it would boost the agency's budget by $172 million and the number of agents by 600.

The great liberal, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, has endorsed these proposals and is expected to introduce...