National Guard troops to leave U.S.-Mexico border by June 30

[peejay 327]

March 15, 2011

Federally-paid National Guard troops to leave U.S.-Mexico border by June 30

Nine months after President Obama agreed to pay for emergency deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops along the southwest border, plans are in place to withdraw the reinforcements — including 285 National Guard troops in Texas.

The Obama administration's decision is sparking bipartisan congressional concern over border security amid fears of spill over violence from unrelenting gangland-style bloodshed south of the border that has claimed more than 30,000 lives over the past five years.

The scheduled draw down by June 30 was disclosed during House members' questioning of Obama administration witnesses appearing before the House Homeland Security Committee's panel on border and maritime security.

Mark Borkowski, a senior official in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, said National Guard troops had served as a "bridge to longer-term enhancements in border protection," adding: The "temporary use" of the National Guard "has allowed us to bridge the gap and hire the additional agents to support the Southwest Border, as well as field additional technology and communications capabilities."

Congress has twice refused to approve Obama administration requests for the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon to share the multimillion dollar cost of the deployment -- effectively spelling an end to the exclusive Pentagon funding on June 30, Borkowski said.

"So it's over? The National Guard will not be on the border as of June?" Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, asked Borkowski and other witnesses that included the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, a second senior official from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Army Maj. Gen. Hugo Salazar, head of the Arizona National Guard.

Officials nodded agreement.

National Guard troops "were always intended to be a stop-gap measure until we could deploy another 1,000 Border Patrol agents," McCaul told the Houston Chronicle. But the 20,000-strong U.S. Border Patrol has not hired and trained enough agents to replace the departing National Guard troops, the lawmaker cautioned.

"Congress approved hiring these new agents last August," McCaul said. "It is unacceptable that seven months later the chief of the Border Patrol still cannot tell us how many agents he has hired and when they will be in position."

Michael Fisher, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, said his agents would most likely replace National Guard troops who have served on entry identification teams positioned on high terrain to watch for illegal border crossings by northbound undocumented immigrants and drug traffickers.

"That (mission) will now be done by U.S. Border Patrol if required," Fisher told the panel.

Rod Korba, the National Guard Bureau's public affairs and strategic communication spokesman, confirmed the National Guard's presence along the border would end by June 30 when federal funding runs out, unless a last minute deal is struck in which the federal government or states would pay for continued deployments.

As of Tuesday, Guard personnel were filling 1,193 of 1,200 authorized Guard positions in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Obama authorized deployment of the National Guard troops at federal expense last July 1 to support intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and counter-narcotics enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security forged "Operation Phalanx," a joint operation with Customs and Border Protection agencies including the U.S. Border Patrol, and the National Guard.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now chairman of the Republican Governors Association, had been one of the first border state governors to ask Obama to deploy federally paid National Guard troops along the Southwest border shortly after the president's inauguration in January 2009.

Like other governors, Perry can deploy state National Guard troops under his command at any time at state expense.

Perry's spokeswoman, Katherine Cesinger, said Perry wants 1,000 federally-paid National Guard personnel deployed to the Texas-Mexico border to coordinate with Texas law enforcement efforts until the U.S. Border Patrol is able to field 3,000 agents to Texas.

"Border security should be a top priority for this administration," Cesinger said. "The threat to our border communities in Texas continues to grow and the last thing that anybody ought to be doing is taking resources away from securing those communities."

Matt Chandler, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said his department was working on a statement.

Texans in Congress reacted immediately to word that National Guard troops would be leaving Texas' border.

"It defies logic that we would remove the National Guard from the border when the border is not secure," said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble. "If anything, we need more National Guard troops."

"I don't think it's right," said Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston. "We need to have a National Guard presence there. I know everyone probably wants more troops there with what has been happening."

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said removing the troops would be "a mistake," adding that the draw down reflected cuts in spending forced upon the Obama administration by the GOP-led House and the narrowly Democratic Senate. "We have a state of war on the border," Jackson Lee said. "There's no other way to describe it."

The phase out comes at a politically sensitive moment: The Obama administration recently cancelled the $1 billion high tech "virtual fence" being built along a 51-mile sector of the border in Arizona.

The administration also faced criticism by Republican members of Congress in the wake of a Government Accountability Office report that only 129 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border were under "full control" of the U.S. Border Patrol and 873 miles were under "operational control," meaning the U.S. Border Patrol could detect and respond to illegal activity.

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/03/post_383.html

[Danno 1,228]

It's a job for Blackhawk.

Hey, they Put an end to the madness after Katrina.

[peejay 327]

It's rather ridiculous that the USA spends obscene amounts of money in other countries on foreign adventures, crusades, and nation building schemes but won't even invest what it takes to secure the border of our own country. We border a corrupt third world narco state that continues to degenerate and our politicians don't seem to take the threat very seriously. We not only have Mexicans illegally entering our country by the millions, but other unknown foreigners that use Mexico as their illegal point of entry as well. The security implications are mind boggling.

But the usual assortment of loonies from the lunatic fringe and liberal Left still insist on referring to all these people as "immigrants".

[Captain Oates 911]

Janet Napolitano went to Afghanistan to advise them on how to seal their borders to stop illegals from entering. Perhaps she has redeployed the National Guard to Afghanistan to teach them how the U.S. perfected the technique

[peejay 327]

Janet Napolitano went to Afghanistan to advise them on how to seal their borders to stop illegals from entering. Perhaps she has redeployed the National Guard to Afghanistan to teach them how the U.S. perfected the technique

Janet Napolitano would be the last person I'd want to advise me if I wanted to really secure a border instead of playing pretend. Let's get real here. The US - Mexico border would already be secured if that is what the assclowns in Washington really wanted. There is nothing in it for them to do it and lots in it for them not to do it. So they play games to give appearances. One day it will turn around and bite them on their clown azzes. We can only hope. Lies only work for so long.

[Captain Oates 911]

Janet Napolitano would be the last person I'd want to advise me if I wanted to really secure a border instead of playing pretend. Let's get real here. The US - Mexico border would already be secured if that is what the assclowns in Washington really wanted. There is nothing in it for them to do it and lots in it for them not to do it. So they play games to give appearances. One day it will turn around and bite them on their clown azzes. We can only hope. Lies only work for so long.

If we call up google maps we can see the size of the northern and southern borders of the USA combined, is equivalent to a line from Ireland to India

Unfortunately, there is no force on earth who could stop crossings on a border that length

The whole of the US Military could not do it. The Chinese army could not do it. If I was in Canada with a rucksack and it was May, I could walk a across anytime and anywhere - thousands and thousands of miles of nothing.

Only bearing down on employers can stop illegals. They need to earn in order to stay. Most come in via the airports and get a stamp in their passports. Only the lack of food and money will make em hitch back to the airport. Start with all the paddies in boston behind every bar. Thousands of em. Start on St Patrick's day.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Alan the Red

[peejay 327]

If we call up google maps we can see the size of the northern and southern borders of the USA combined, is equivalent to a line from Ireland to India

Unfortunately, there is no force on earth who could stop crossings on a border that length

The whole of the US Military could not do it. The Chinese army could not do it. If I was in Canada with a rucksack and it was May, I could walk a across anytime and anywhere - thousands and thousands of miles of nothing.

Only bearing down on employers can stop illegals. They need to earn in order to stay. Most come in via the airports and get a stamp in their passports. Only the lack of food and money will make em hitch back to the airport. Start with all the paddies in boston behind every bar. Thousands of em. Start on St Patrick's day.

Most do not come legally with a visa. Most illegal aliens are EWI (entry without inspection) and the vast majority of those come through Mexico. Most illegal aliens are Mexican and the vast majority of illegal aliens are Latino. Canada? Ha! Sell your tall tales elsewhere.

[^_^ 5,021]

Canada has a higher quality of life than this country does. There is very little reason for any Canadian to illegally enter the U.S.

[Captain Oates 911]

Canada has a higher quality of life than this country does. There is very little reason for any Canadian to illegally enter the U.S.

Not talking about Canadians entering illegally - why leave free health care and no Limbaugh/Palin/Beck to come here ?

What I am saying is that if a person can get to Canada, they can cross anywhere in that huge expanse of wilderness. Thousands of miles of woods. Decent pair of boots and a rucksack and they can stroll across. Canada itself is full of illegals. I was talking to an Iranian in Toronto who was a 14 year illegal and he visited the US regularly.

I am not kidding about illegal Irish in Boston - its a whole community and they all have jobs

I talked to them too

Pressure on employers is too small.

[^_^ 5,021]

Not talking about Canadians entering illegally - why leave free health care and no Limbaugh/Palin/Beck to come here ?

What I am saying is that if a person can get to Canada, they can cross anywhere in that huge expanse of wilderness. Thousands of miles of woods. Decent pair of boots and a rucksack and they can stroll across. Canada itself is full of illegals. I was talking to an Iranian in Toronto who was a 14 year illegal and he visited the US regularly.

I am not kidding about illegal Irish in Boston - its a whole community and they all have jobs

I talked to them too

Pressure on employers is too small.

Yeah, they are in New York too. Also many illegal Poles and Russians.

But even more illegal Dominicans and Pakistanis and Central Americans.

[Captain Oates 911]

Yeah, they are in New York too. Also many illegal Poles and Russians.

But even more illegal Dominicans and Pakistanis and Central Americans.

$20k minimum fine for employers (per illegal) with 6 months jail and $50k fine for a second offense

That would kill the problem the same week and cause an outbound traffic jam at the border - and leave every motel room in the USA filthy and every cherry unpicked and every bar in Boston unstaffed...

Perhaps the border guards could then do those jobs or the japanese could be offered temporary agricultural visas to last no more than 100,000 years - the half life of plutonium

[peejay 327]

$20k minimum fine for employers (per illegal) with 6 months jail and $50k fine for a second offense

That would kill the problem the same week and cause an outbound traffic jam at the border - and leave every motel room in the USA filthy and every cherry unpicked and every bar in Boston unstaffed...

Perhaps the border guards could then do those jobs or the japanese could be offered temporary agricultural visas to last no more than 100,000 years - the half life of plutonium

Everybody keeps harping about fining and jailing employers of illegal aliens, but the US government has yet to come up with a mandatory system that employers must use to verify the work authorization of employees. How can you hold employers accountable if they don't have the tools to screen employees for work authorization? At the present time they must take whatever documents presented by employees at face value whether they are legit or not.

[Captain Oates 911]

Everybody keeps harping about fining and jailing employers of illegal aliens, but the US government has yet to come up with a mandatory system that employers must use to verify the work authorization of employees. How can you hold employers accountable if they don't have the tools to screen employees for work authorization? At the present time they must take whatever documents presented by employees at face value whether they are legit or not.

Correct

wifey is a specialist in this area so yes employers need to get documents and submit details to the gov

The fact that the gov makes a sloppy job of checking them is the govs fault

If 3,657 Pedro Gonzalez's with the same SS number go on payrolls around the country in the same week and the gov gets details of every one and can't see something suspicious - then

we have a problem

However, in this area of Washington State, (apples/cherries), the employers are complicit. We have the example of a guy submitting fake papers and when the employer told him they had come back invalid , the employee said 'try these then' and gave him a different name and details

This is normal in this area so slamming the employer too would be worthwhile in these circumstances

It is so accepted here that a guy applying for citizenship in Yakima took his illegal wife with him to the USCIS office !!!

They were told to leave but that is all

[Zero Sum 305]

Scapegoating includes trying to lay the finger of blame on one segment whereas a more balanced perspective would (at least) blame everyone playing the game.

[Captain Oates 911]

Scapegoating includes trying to lay the finger of blame on one segment whereas a more balanced perspective would (at least) blame everyone playing the game.

It's clear that government incompetence plus employer collusion aids illegals to live here. Getting here can never be prevented but the facility to stay here could be eradicated with the utmost ease and 1 day's programming effort by the govt. They obviously don't want to. The IRS could stitch this system up into an inescapable one in one hours programing.

The three blaimee's are the govt, the illegals and the knowing (most of em) employers. If one of those dropped out, the problem would go away.

Border guards for 5 thousand miles of borders - forget it. They can't even keep dandelions out of their lawn.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Alan the Red