Haven't they been patrolling for drug runners for years? Isn't that "enforcing the law"?
Protecting the borders and defending against terrorists does not strike me as "law enforcement" issues. The military's job should not be to arrest bad guys, it should be to defeat them and they should not be constrained with the restrictions we put on law enforcement. For that reason, it strikes me as very wrong if we start using the marines for regular law enforcement tasks, such as busting gang members in inner cities.
I recognize the line between law enforcement and military issues is thin, and I am not sure how I feel about this. I guess it will depend on the details of the proposal.
I guess it will depend on the details of the proposal. Yeah, there is no "bright line" today about what roles the military should and should not take. Those who think there's a bright line are misinformed, I think.
There are dozens of ways that the military helps with domestic security in one way or another, and I think that will continue.
The basic rule I've been taught in my military classes is that it's best for "situations" to be handled at the lowest possible level -- it's best if local police and fire and ambulanes, etc, can handle most chores, with state resources (civilian and military) coming second, and federal resources only used for very unusual roles or for backup in the worst emergencies.