Immigration looking for more resources.

• Position: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Among the agencies looking for a boost in resources in 2007 is the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is responsible for apprehending and deporting illegal aliens when they make it beyond the Border Patrol's reach.

Leonard Kovensky, deputy assistant director of ICE's office of detention and removal, painted a portrait of an agency overwhelmed by sheer numbers

There are 21 teams looking for aliens who have orders to leave the country, Kovensky told a border conference organized by Market Access. There are an estimated 400,000 such aliens, and their numbers grow by 5,000 per month.

"Twenty-one teams cannot even cope with the 5,000 per month," he said.

By the end of the fiscal year, there will be 44 teams in place, and 52 by the end of the calendar year. The Bush administration's 2007 budget request calls for an additional 18 teams in 2007. Each team has a goal of apprehending 1,000 fugitives per year.

ICE should start making some headway "after a year or two," Kovensky predicted.

Once those breaking immigration laws are apprehended, there are several obstacles before repatriation can be carried out. Obtaining travel documents and permission from foreign...