Why Isn't Securing the US Border a Higher Priority than Securing Iraq's?

Numerous articles on the web mention that the US has deployed Customs and Border Patrol personnel in Iraq to teach them how to secure their border. I don't know if I should laugh or cry. We let between 3,000 and 5,000 illegal immigrants cross the Arizona Mexico border EVERY DAY, because of a lack of personnel and an utter lack of political will to address this problem. Meanwhile, our Customs and Border Patrol Commissionar says:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents are fighting the war on terror, and we've taken it to the borders of Iraq. Our people are on a vital mission to train Iraqis to protect their own borders and build Iraqi institutions that will safeguard the new freedoms and democratic principles being established there. There is no more important mission."

"Border security is critical to defeating terrorists - whether at U.S. borders or the borders of Iraq," said Commissioner Bonner. "I commend the CBP officers and Border Patrol agents who volunteered their expertise and sacrificed the comforts of home to help institute Iraqi border security."

I don't get it. We can't secure our own border, yet we somehow have man power and experise to spare for securing the Iraqi border. To add insult to injury, this comes after Bush announced his 2006 budget will only fund 210 new border patrol agents rather than the 2,000+ that were authorized by the intelligence overhaul law passed by Congress in December.

I've written several posts on how illegal immigration costs this country billions of dollars, causes increased crime, decreases wages, etc. It's infuriating for me to read about U.S. officials proclaiming the importance of border security in preventing terrorism and prerserving democracy while both of our leading political parties make no effort to secure our own borders. I would be all for securing the Iraqi border for the war on terror if we first (or even simultaneously) secured our own border.