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  1. #1
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    Guard to miss border mission deadline

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060630/ap_ ... tion_guard

    AP: Guard to miss border mission deadline By AARON C. DAVIS, Associated Press Writer
    Fri Jun 30, 7:00 AM ET

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bush administration has been unable to muster even half the 2,500 National Guardsmen it planned to have on the Mexican border by the end of June, officials in the border states said.


    The head of the National Guard Bureau disputed that tally and said the goal would be met by Friday.

    As of Thursday, the next-to-last day of the month, fewer than 1,000 troops were in place, according to military officials in Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona.

    President Bush's plan called for all 50 states to send troops. But only 10 states — including the four border states — have signed commitments.

    Some state officials have argued that they cannot free up Guardsmen because of flooding in the East, wildfires in the West or the prospect of hurricanes in the South.

    "It's not a combat priority. It is a volunteer mission," said Kristine Munn, spokeswoman for the National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, "so it's a question of balancing the needs of the Border Patrol with the needs of 54 states and territories, and all those balls roll in different directions."

    Bush's plan called for 2,500 troops to be on the border in support roles by June 30, and 6,000 by the end of July. But officials in the border states said the Guard won't reach the 2,500 target until early to mid-July and will likely need longer to meet the 6,000 mark.

    "The magical numbers coming out of Washington are not going to happen, definitely not by Friday," said Maj. Paul Ellis, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard.

    A White House spokesman declined to comment, referring questions to the National Guard Bureau.

    Later Thursday, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau in Washington, issued a statement saying that the Guard "will have 2,500 Army and Air National Guard members supporting Operation Jump Start in the four border states," by Friday.

    "Reports to the contrary are factually incorrect and ill-informed," his statement said.

    Blum's spokesman, Daniel Donohue, said he could not account for the state reports about the lagging numbers. He suggested Guardsmen serving in support roles, such as cooks and others, may have been overlooked.

    Lower troop numbers and gaps in deployments could mean fewer Border Patrol officers will be able to focus on catching illegal immigrants as planned. Bush had said the mission would free up thousands of officers now on other duties to actively patrol the border. Guardsmen are expected to build fences, conduct routine surveillance and take care of other administrative duties for the border patrol.

    Munn said nearly 1,800 troops were committed to the mission. But Guard officials from California to Texas said more than half have yet to reach the border. At least 600 are weeks away from getting there.

    Only six non-border states — Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee and Wisconsin — have officially joined the mission.

    In recent days West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina and Arkansas pledged troops, but many of those would not arrive until sometime next month, said Tom Koch, a New Mexico National Guard spokesman. On Thursday, Virginia announced that about 350 National Guard members had volunteered.

    Major problems began to appear last week when California, which has already committed to sending 1,000 troops, said it turned down an administration request for 1,500 more to cover expected shortfalls in the numbers sent by Arizona and New Mexico.

    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Adam Mendelsohn, said the state is leading all others in contributing troops and the shortfalls are not California's responsibility.

    "The governor is prepared to do whatever it takes to secure California's border," he said, "However, at the start of fire season, we cannot send troops to New Mexico and Arizona and other states when we already have 1,000 troops committed to this."

  2. #2
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    Why am I not surprised

  3. #3
    Senior Member AlturaCt's Avatar
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    I am fully committed to securing our borders and it's not amnesty.


    Once upon a time...
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    - Arnold J. Toynbee

  4. #4
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    http://www.workpermit.com/news/2006-06- ... update.htm

    Shortfall of US National Guard at Mexican border
    30 June 2006



    President George Bush called for approximately 6,000 National Guard by the end of July to temporarily patrol the U.S.-Mexican border in a policy speech in May. The idea was to immediately increase the security of the border while new personnel were recruited for the Border Patrol.

    Part of the plan was to have 2,500 National Guardsmen on the border by the end of June in an effort to reduce and eventually eliminate illegal immigration from Mexico. This involved personnel and units from all 50 states being sent. However, only ten states have agreed to send people at this time, and it appears that not even 1,000 will arrive before July.

    The use of United States National Guard for border patrol is a controversial policy since they are a branch of the U.S. military. Under U.S. law, federal military personnel are not designated for domestic policing and duty, unless there is a declared state of emergency. Many people see the use of the National Guard in this case as a violation of standard interpretations of U.S. law, and there are fears regarding the precedent being set.

    National Guard are usually used for natural disasters such as hurricanes, large-scale flooding and domestic rioting. They are usually under the control of each states governor and deployed at the governors discretion. The federal government of the U.S. may "call up" the National Guard for emergencies involving regions across state borders, an interpretation of which policy that the Bush administration used to send large numbers of National Guard to Iraq. Other administrations have used this interpretation for other global conflicts and crisis, such President Bill Clintons use of the National Guard in Somalia and Bosnia.

    Many state governors are taking the position that the Mexican border patrol is a voluntary duty, rather than a combat or emergency mission, and are declining to order National Guard troops to the region. Many are also concerned that the season for hurricanes and other extreme weather is beginning in the U.S., and they do not wish for their Guard units to be unavailable.

    However, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau in Washington, issued a statement saying that the Guard "will have 2,500 Army and Air National Guard members supporting Operation Jump Start in the four border states," by Friday. "Reports to the contrary are factually incorrect and ill-informed."

    Blum's spokesman said he could not explain reports about a shortfall. He suggested Guardsmen serving in support roles, such as cooks, might not have been counted properly. President Bush had said the mission could free up thousands of Border Patrol officers now on other duties. The Guard are planned to be assigned to many tasks, such as building fences, conducting routine surveillance and other administrative duties.

    Kristine Munn, spokeswoman for the National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, said nearly 1,800 troops were committed to the mission, not explaining how an additional 700 would appear in within the next 24 hours. Other National Guard officials from California to Texas indicated that more than half of the 1,800 have yet to reach the border. At least 600 are weeks away from getting there.
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