Thread: California National Guard headed to the Mexican border.

Source: AP
URL Source: http://www.bakersfield.com/119/story/54732.html
Published: Jun 1, 2006

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed Thursday to send the California National Guard to the Mexican border, ending a 17-day standoff with the Bush administration over whether the state's troops would join the border patrol effort and who would pay for it, administration officials said.

Schwarzenegger scheduled a 2 p.m. press conference to announce that he intends to sign a two-page document, effectively promising to carry out the state's share of Bush's planned mobilization of 6,000 troops, part of the president's plan to solve the nation's illegal immigration dilemma.

I thought we all could use a little more good news around here.

voatnow1,
Thanks,you are right we can use all the good news that we can get.

it's about time. I'm so sick of who's going to foot the bill -- the fed's SHOULD -- they made this mess so let them pay to clean it up. If they have a problem funding the states, they can just pretent it's for Mexico

More on this story...

However, in a separate act that was not part of the agreement with the federal government, Schwarzenegger will sign an executive order that ends the California National Guard's participation on Dec. 31, 2008, state officials said.


"This allows us to participate in the plan to secure the nation's border while also addressing the concerns the governor had raised," Mendelsohn said.

Schwarzenegger intends for the mission to be carried out mostly by troops who volunteer for six- to 12-month assignments. The Bush plan called for sending Guardsmen on border duty instead of their annual two-and-three week training exercises.

Altogether, President Bush has proposed sending 6,000 National Guardsmen to the U.S. border with Mexico. The overall cost of the multiyear deployment has been put at more than $1 billion.

In California, National Guard officials have said the mobilization could begin immediately after Schwarzenegger signs the document.

A planning force could reach the border within days but substantial troop deployments would not happen until mid-July, Guard officials said Wednesday in testimony before the state Senate. The first troops in Arizona were scheduled to reach the border Thursday.

The agreement Schwarzenegger will sign is a memorandum of understanding between the federal government and the governors of the four southern border states. It serves as a federal promise to repay the cost of the deployment, although Congress has not yet appropriated the money.

It also establishes rules of engagement prohibiting Guardsmen from handling detainees, but allowing them to carry guns. The rules are similar to those the California Guard follows when deploying to a riot, officials said.

The document also contains a provision allowing the border governors to decline to participate in any part of the mission they deem inappropriate.

Schwarzenegger's decision ended an awkward period for the Republican governor. He held out longer than Democratic governors in Arizona and New Mexico before saying he would send troops.

He also had risked alienating voters in a state that has repeatedly backed a tough approach on immigration - although his reluctance to send troops had been seen as popular among Hispanics.


http://www.nbcsandiego.com/politics/9308129/detail.html

It's a start

The overall cost of the multiyear deployment has been put at more than $1 billion

the overall cost for a Totalization Agreement providing social security for Mexico is $39.2 billion a year over a period of 10 years -- so where's the problem???

I'm also glad the guard will have weapons -- an unarmed militia gives the wrong impression to the world and Mexico

I'm also glad the guard will have weapons -- an unarmed militia gives the wrong impression to the world and Mexico

Not in California they won't, read the below, Arnold has more flip flops than a waffle house. He's still shy over getting his behind waxed by the teacher's union over budget reform. By trying to be all things to all people, he's in effect being nothing to anybody (like McCain). It's too bad because it leaves us the choice between tweedle dee, tweedle dumb and cigar dope for Governor in November for California.

"Under Bush's plan, troops would rotate off the border every two or three weeks. Schwarzenegger said the 1,000 California troops would serve at least six-month tours and that all California troops would be removed from the border after a year.

Most of the California soldiers won't be armed and would perform support jobs such as surveillance, vehicle repair, road maintenance and repair and communications. Only volunteers would be used on the border, Schwarzenegger said."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...0U448&refer=us