Thread: Border governors worried about National Guard pullout

Jun 20, 3:24 PM EDT

Border governors worried about National Guard pullout

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- The thousands of National Guardsmen sent to reinforce the U.S.-Mexican border two years ago have almost completely withdrawn, despite pleas from border-state governors once skeptical of using soldiers to catch illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

When the Guard was posted along the southern frontier in 2006 to help the strapped Border Patrol, critics warned that sending soldiers would be an insult to Mexico and that innocents could get shot by troops trained for combat, not law enforcement.

But none of that happened, and now those worries have given way to fears that a bloody drug-cartel war on the Mexican side will spill into the U.S. and overwhelm the Border Patrol.

The four border-state governors who contributed the bulk of the troops have tried in vain to persuade Congress and the White House to extend the Guard's presence, which will end as scheduled on July 15.

"Until Border Patrol has all its new boots on the ground, there's going to be a vulnerability," said Pahl Shipley, spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

The Border Patrol said the National Guard force, which reached a peak of 6,000 before diminishing last year, bought it enough time to hire and train more agents. The patrol expressed confidence that it can hold the line on its own.

"We're fine taking over. It's all part of our plan," said Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd Easterling.

Only a few hundred Guardsmen are left on the border, most of them finishing up construction projects in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Guardsmen were sent in a support role, not to seize illegal immigrants and smugglers. They used helicopters and night-vision gear to watch for people trying to slip across the border, then told Border Patrol agents where to find them. They also built roads and fences.

The Border Patrol's ranks have swelled by nearly 5,000 since the beginning of Operation Jump Start, reaching more than 16,400. But the Border Patrol is still short of the 18,000-agent goal set for the end of the year. And border-state officials note those numbers include new hires who are not necessarily in place along the border yet.

Also, drug violence is surging in Mexican border areas, and "we certainly don't want that to spill across the border," Shipley said.

In late April, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano joined Richardson in signing a letter to Capitol Hill leaders begging them to extend the National Guard's presence.

"It is irresponsible to phase out the current support of the National Guard without the infrastructure and full-time personnel to fill the gap," the letter said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry also lobbied Washington to keep the soldiers in his state, which constitutes 1,255 miles of the 1,950-mile U.S. border with Mexico.

"Not only when you cut down on law enforcement presence, but when it is known, there is an obvious threat," said Perry spokeswoman Krista Piferrer.

There was not the same unanimity when President Bush announced the plan in May 2006.

Then, Richardson worried the Guard would be stretched too thin heading into wildfire season. And Schwarzenegger said the National Guard was not trained for law enforcement duty. Perry and Napolitano supported the president's plan.

Eventually all four governors signed an agreement allowing their National Guard units to participate in Jump Start.

And despite fears of a repeat of 1997, when a Marine assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration in Texas mistakenly shot and killed a teenage goat-herder, not one Guardsmen shot anyone in the force's two years on the border.

In fact, the mission was criticized in January 2007 after several heavily armed men approached an observation site in remote Arizona and the National Guardsmen pulled back and radioed for the Border Patrol, as instructed, instead of shooting it out.

The soldiers were also credited with saving lives. When deadly tornados struck the Texas border town of Eagle Pass in April 2007, National Guardsmen on border duty were among the first to arrive. Two Texas National Guard soldiers received a medal for risking their lives to pull a woman from the Rio Grande in 2006.

"I think peoples' minds were changed on what the guard is here for," said Texas National Guard Col. Robert Canon, who oversaw Jump Start in Texas.

Link

You think it has anything to do with the $$$$$ the guard spends in local
business places?

In late April, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano joined Richardson in signing a letter to Capitol Hill leaders begging them to extend the National Guard's presence.



Good. Let these Mexico lovin' governors defend their own states from the criminals they know will be coming.

The article said, 15 July is the end date of national guard. Border states are in trouble now more than ever, then. They have the same chances all other states have had to curve illegals. How can the federal government keep up with a state (California not wanting to e-verify) if they will not do their part. Maybe when the drug smugglers move into the capital buildings and police stations; the governors, president, and congress of both federal/state and the people will finally realize the country's been under attack. And the military guns will have to be sent into preserve America from Mexico's crime, criminals and illegals.

Is this the federal government's plan? A wake-up call from HELL for these border states.

Illegals are still flooding across the border. It would be very interesting to know just how many illegals are in our United States. Nobody really knows. They say that border crossers have a 90% success rate. I think there could easily be 40 million illegals in our country, and I think everyone would be surprised at how many of them aren't Latinos. Our country has been very remiss in not stopping the flood of illegals 22 years ago. If it isn't stopped now, it will only become worse.

Border Patrol Sectors on our Southern Border (West to East)
San Diego - 66 miles
El Centro - 71 miles
Yuma - 118 miles
Tucson - 262 miles
El Paso - 268 miles
Marfa - 510 miles
Del Rio - 210 miles
Laredo - 171 miles
Rio Grande Valley - 316 miles

Border Patrol Sector Apprehensions on our Southern Border (West to East)
Fiscal Year (Oct thru Sept)---2005--------2006--------2007------FYTD 2008 (thru May 31)
San Diego Sector -----------126,879----142,104---- 152,460--- 110,164
El Centro Sector --------------55,725-----61,465----- 55,883----- 29,130
Yuma Sector -----------------138,492----118,549----- 37,992------ 6,877
Tucson Sector ---------------439,053----392,074---- 378,239--- 235,883
El Paso Sector ---------------122,624----122,256----- 75,464----- 23,653
Marfa Sector ------------------10,532-------7,520------ 5,536------ 3,912
Del Rio Sector -----------------68,547-----42,636----- 22,920----- 14,804
Laredo Sector -----------------75,268-----74,840----- 56,714------31,353
Rio Grande Valley Sector ----134,136---110,528----- 73,430----- 52,680
Total Apprehensions-------1,171,554-1,071,972---- 858,638----508,406

Any improvement in the Yuma Sector should be attributed to the 7 miles of double-layered fence at San Luis which stopped the Banzai Runs where 200, or more, illegal aliens, would cross at a time.

How much gas does the 50 million illegals use daily in the U S?

If it takes 20 million barrel of crude daily for America.

Is it an eighth they're consuming if percent is done by population?
There about 350 million of us and 50 million illegals

And you know that Mexico has 200 million people. So we are taking care of their total country. Estimate that 50 million illegals here and each illegal left three family members in Mexico what would that make - 50 plus 150 equals 200 million people we are taking care of.

I AM SO SICK OF IT, AREN'T YOU?

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http://www.alipac.us/article3294.html

National Guard Truck at the Border, Campo CA 6/18/08