Led by Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), a former sector chief with the Border Patrol, 47 Representatives and 12 Senators signed a letter to President Clinton accusing him of failing to address the needs of the southwest border, especially in regards to drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The immediate cause of the letter is the failure of the INS to hire 1000 new Border Patrol agents this year, as required by congressional mandate. This failure, however, in not necessarily the result of any laxity on the part of the Clinton administration; it may in large part be the result of the burgeoning economy and other factors that have made it more difficult for the Border Patrol to attack new agents. See the story above for more on this phenomenon.