NM National Guard soldiers begin border duties

By Steve Ramirez sramirez@lcsun-news.com
Posted: 09/01/2010 11:34:31 PM MDT

To link to the New Mexico National Guard, click here.

LAS CRUCES - With training completed and certified by the U.S. Border Patrol, an additional 72 New Mexico National Guard soldiers began a 10-month deployment Wednesday along the state's border with Mexico.

The soldiers are part of President Obama's order to send 1,200 National Guardsmen to the Mexican border with New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California. The presidential order came after numerous reports of violence, allegedly by illegal immigrants from Mexico, and the soldiers were required to be on the border by Wednesday.

Included in that violence was the death of Robert Krentz, an Arizona rancher, along the border. But few, if any, of those reports were in New Mexico and state officials said it has been rather quiet along the state's approximate 180-mile border with Mexico.

They want it to stay that way.

"Violence along the New Mexico-Mexico border is a major concern and we are taking steps to ensure the safety of our citizens," said Gov. Bill Richardson. "I am pleased that New Mexico is one of the first of four border states to have our Guardsmen trained and fully operational along the border following the president's order for additional troops."

The deployment of National Guard troops along the Arizona border was first announced Friday. Until Wednesday, New Mexico National Guard officials were not able to officially confirm soldiers at the border until Border Patrol certification had been formally issued. But New Mexico National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya said two weeks ago that the soldiers were ready to begin their new border mission.
New Mexico National Guardsmen assigned to the border region have received specialized training with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security as well as military training for this mission. The troops will provide criminal investigative analysis and Entry Identification Teams along the border area.

Lt. Col. Jamison Herrera, spokesman for the New Mexico National Guard, said 82 soldiers have been authorized for the border deployment that will officially last until June 30, 2011, unless the mission is extended. Ten of those soldiers have been assigned to administrative duties and will not be stationed directly at the border.

"We've got 72 warm bodies now working with Border Patrol," Herrera said. "I can't comment on what they're specifically doing, but the soldiers are working in support of Border Patrol and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations. They will be used as needed by those agencies."

Unlike Operation Jump Start, where as many as 1,000 National Guard troops patrolled the state's border with Mexico from 2006 to 2008, Herrera said the presence of soldiers won't be nearly as noticeable during this deployment.

"People living on or near the border are not going to see much camouflage, very many people running around," Herrera said. "They're not going to see a bunch of Humvees running on the ground. These soldiers will be used in smaller groups, to be determined by Border Patrol and ICE, to assist them as they see fit. They'll be imbedded with Border Patrol and ICE. You probably won't see all 72 soldiers at the border at the same time."

Earlier this year, Richardson ordered 70 New Mexico National Guardsmen to the border after Krentz's shooting death. Wednesday's deployment is in addition to the nearly 120 Guard personnel that have been conducting counter-drug operations at the border for the past 20 years.

In 2005, Richardson formally declared an emergency along the border as a result of border-related violence. As a result of that emergency declaration, border communities were able to pay for additional law enforcement. The emergency also led to the creation of a field office for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Las Cruces.

"It's important for people to understand that we're not militarizing the border," Herrera said. "We're there to augment what the Border Patrol is doing."


Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452.


At the border
•Eighty two New Mexico National Guard soldiers have been authorized to deploy at the state's border with Mexico.

•According to National Guard officials, 72 soldiers are at the border while the other 10 are performing administrative duties.

•Not all 72 soldiers will be at the border at the same time.

•The soldiers will be used for criminal investigative analysis, as entry identification team members, or for surveillance as needed by the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

•The soldiers will only serve in support roles and will not have any law enforcement authority.

•The National Guard will be deployed at the border until at least June 30, 2011.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_15969242