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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Border Patrol: National Guard would have little effect Border Patrol: National Guard would have little effect May 16,2006 Monitor Staff Writer McALLEN — Border Patrol officials say they wouldn’t turn down the help of the 6,000 National Guardsmen that President Bush plans to deploy to the nation’s southern border, but said their assistance wouldn’t be of great help either. "We wouldn’t turn it down," said T.J. Bonner, National Border Patrol Council president. "But it’s of marginal value. It’s being touted as something that could free up all these Border Patrol agents." There are already a couple of hundred agents helping the Border Patrol by serving in support roles, but there aren’t 6,000 positions for the guardsmen to fill, he said. Bonner dismissed Bush’s five-part plan, which was outlined Monday primetime in a live address to the American people, as a "political smokescreen" to appease those who are calling for more border security. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño, a member of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition that has testified to Congress that the southern border is being overrun by violence, also felt the National Guard deployment was just a Band-Aid to a much bigger problem. Bush called for the National Guard troops to assist the U.S. Border Patrol secure the southern border for as long as one year. The guardsmen would serve in a supporting role by installing fencing, perform surveillance and other tasks, but would not be involved in direct law enforcement activity, Bush said. "The United States is not going to militarize the southern border," the president said. Securing the borders, which would be just one part of his comprehensive immigration reform plan, will take time, he said. Yet the need is urgent. State militias on the border would be a temporary fix, as more Border Patrol agents are trained and technology is developed. Guardsmen would be phased out over time. "I think they recognize the need for more manpower," said Paul Perez, president of the Border Patrol’s local union that represents 75 percent of the non-supervisory agents and civilian employees in the Rio Grande Valley Sector. "I don’t see the National Guard’s presence hurting us at all." But more Border Patrol agents should be a top priority, he said. "We need more eyes on the ground," Perez said. "More agents." But National Guardsmen helping to secure the border is an indication that not enough has been done, he said. The National Guard currently has a little more than 300 people already assisting the Border Patrol and Customs in intelligence posts, surveillance, construction and checking cargo along the southwestern border, said Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Department of Defense spokeswoman. They’ve also helped stop drug trafficking across the border for more than a decade, she said. Bonner said the number of guardsmen helping Homeland Security departments dwindled with the onset of the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. "The Guard is stretched so thin to begin with," he said. Krenke said there are 444,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen. Only about 66,000 of those are deployed worldwide or are getting ready for deployment. "I think it’s a good idea," said Johnny Garza, the owner of Garza’s Countertops in McAllen. "It sends the message to the world that you can’t just walk across the border without any type of consequences." The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which has loudly called for the military to secure the borders, doesn’t feel Bush’s plan has any teeth. "Sending unarmed troops to assist the Border Patrol with logistics consisting of paper-pushing and vehicle maintenance is exactly what Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has done as a vacant political scheme during an election year," said Minuteman president Chris Simcox in a statement. "President Bush’s political maneuver will do nothing more than place career desk jockeys and support personnel in a very dangerous environment." "We do not take lightly those why try to take us for fools." The Minutemen want armed guards. "Instead he proposes to perhaps send some National Guard mechanics to help patch up the holes shot in our Border Patrol jeeps by the Mexican Army," Simcox said. Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, National Guardsmen are prohibited from performing direct law enforcement, said Lt. Col. Mike Milord, spokesman for the National Guard Bureau. Guardsmen only carry out a direct law enforcement mission under state control — as was the case in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The guardsmen patrolled with police and had arrest powers, Milord said. Gov. Rick Perry said on Monday he wants to keep National Guard troops under state control, but he is in favor of the troops supporting the Border Patrol. It is not clear whether the federal government or state government would be in control of the guardsmen. "We have used the National Guard in a role along the border for some time now," Perry said. "I am heartened that the administration is following our lead in realizing that the Guard does have some role to play." Perry said the troops would still be available if needed to assist if a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes. "We have the ability to multi-task," he said. But it wouldn’t matter if the National Guard was armed, Bonner said, because nothing is being done to illegal immigrants when they get past the border. It isn’t possible to fix illegal immigration without coming down hard on employers and making it "idiot-proof" to hire legal workers, he said. The military will not help the situation unless they are going to shoot every illegal immigrant who tries to get across, Walter Sein sarcastically said as he pumped gas Monday evening. The 49-year-old McAllen resident is the owner of a commercial printing business. He said he was worried that a military presence would scare people and hurt tourism and business. "Is that all the recourse we have? We are supposed to be a civilized country," he said. Cari Hammerstrom covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4424. Let us know how you feel at http://www.themonitor.com/2cents
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#1. To: Zipporah (#0)
That law didn't stop the army in Waco. Army tanks were used against US civilians. A version of our own Tiananmen Square.
Good comparison.. well maybe 'good' isnt the correct word here..
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