SOURCE: TEXAS TO PULL NATIONAL GUARD FROM BORDER EARLIER THAN ANNOUNCED



by BOB PRICE 4 Dec 2014

RELATED NEWS


State of Texas to Pull Back National Guard from Border

by SARAH RUMPF 15 days ago
Perry, Dewhurst and Straus Extend Texas Border Surge Through August 2015

by BOB PRICE16 days ago4
Perry's Border Surge Cut Off as Media Interest Disappears

by SARAH RUMPF

The wind-down of the Texas National Guard deployment along the Texas-Mexico border region is set to begin in mid-December, according to a National Guardsman who has previously provided reliable information to Breitbart Texas.

This appears to conflict with the Texas Legislative Budget Board (LBB) announcement earlier this week that passed funding reportedly designed to carry the National Guard deployment through to a phase-out period set for the spring of 2015.

Instead, the National Guard soldiers have been briefed to expect to begin withdrawing from the border beginning December 20th,according to the trusted source. “We were briefed on Wednesday that we will begin a phased withdrawal from the border that will begin December 20th,” the soldier stated. “By January 20th, we were told the numbers would be down to 200 who would remain until springtime.”

Breitbart Texas writer, Sarah Rumpf, reported on the LBB’s vote to extend the border surge through August. That announcement stated the National Guard wind down would begin in the spring. Lt. Governor-Elect Dan Patrick expressed opposition to the plan to draw down the Guard stating he believed the guard should have also been extended through August. “We should not be cutting back on funding for the National Guard at this critical time,” Patrick stated. “I will address this issue immediately upon taking office in late January so we can keep the National Guard on the border."

The briefing to the soldiers came from Lt. Colonel Clarence Henderson, Task Force Commander, according to the source. The soldier expressed surprise at the announcement of the early withdrawal. “We understood, from reading the news, that Gov. Perry wanted us to stay here longer, and Lt. Governor-Elect Patrick said he would revisit the situation in January,” the soldier expressed. “He said he would like to see us here until August. But if the draw-down of the National Guard begins December 20th, by the time Patrick gets in office the soldiers will already have been sent home.”

The soldier expressed disappointment about the early withdrawal. “Overall the soldiers understand the need to be flexible,” the source stated, “but we are all disappointed it is ending so soon. We constantly see first-hand, the flow of illegals and drugs across the border. So for the mission to be ending knowing the job is not done is what affects most of us.”

“No matter what Washington politicians or the DHS [Department of Homeland Security] says, the border is porous and far from being secure,” the soldier concluded.

As for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) taking over the Guard’s mission, the soldier seemed skeptical.

“DPS are not directly along the border in the wood line like the Guard is,” the soldier explained. “They are on the roadways in the town. And while I respect the DPS, I have noticed from working alongside them they have become somewhat stagnant.”

“The majority of the troopers I see down here are just rotating down,” the soldier continued, “sitting at their posts and making the least amount of stops possible. They are a great show of force, but in a way, they aren’t directly involved with where the crossings and smuggling routes are on the river.” The soldier excluded the riverboat patrols from this evaluation.

Other law enforcement professionals have expressed similar comments about the DPS deployment. One sheriff’s deputy expressed concern about the constant rotation of troopers.

“They are here for eight days and then leave,” the deputy said anonymously to this writer. “They don’t have time to get to know the lay of the land. Patrolling along the Rio Grande is a lot different that patrolling in Lubbock or East Texas.”

Breitbart Texas reached out to Governor Rick Perry, Governor-Elect Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Lt. Governor-Elect Dan Patrick, Texas DPS and Texas National Guard headquarters for a response to this. The DPS referred Breitbart Texas to the Texas National Guard Public Affairs Office for a response.

The Texas National Guard Public Affairs Office responded in an email to Breitbart Texas. "A vote by the Legislative Budget Board on Dec. 1, 2014 authorized $86 million to extend the presence of personnel on the southern border until next summer," the email read. "However, the authorization funded the Texas National Guard through spring of 2015. As a result, a gradual drawdown of military presence will begin immediately with the completion of the drawdown being in March of 2015."

Breitbart Texas will provide additional information when and if other responses are received.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-T...Than-Announced