Posted on 06/03/2006 8:48:42 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PHOENIX - Fifty-five National Guard members from Utah arrived in Yuma on Saturday afternoon — the first troops to be sent to the Arizona-Mexico border in a new crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Utah troops had been scheduled to work on fences and other projects as part of the Guard's long-standing efforts at the Arizona border, officials had said as late as Wednesday. But their mission has since been folded into President Bush's plan to send up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the four southern border states to supplement federal immigration agents.
The Utah troops got word of the change Friday from Guard officials in Washington, D.C., said Maj. Hank McIntire, a spokesman for the Utah National Guard.
They are scheduled to be briefed on their mission Sunday and start field work as early as Monday, he said.
Under the president's plan, troops will perform support duties to allow federal authorities to focus on border security. They won't perform law enforcement duties.
The Utah troops, who will not carry weapons, will be in Yuma for two weeks to install improved lighting at a border crossing, extend an existing border fence and build a road, McIntire said.
The projects will be done in the area of San Luis, Ariz., a town 25 miles south of Yuma with a fortified stretch of border with Mexico.
The town is part of the nation's busiest U.S. Border Patrol station, in a state that is the nation's busiest illegal entry point.
A 12-foot corrugated metal fence divides San Luis from Mexico, reinforced 50 yards to the north by an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and towers with surveillance cameras. Stadium lights help agents spot those who try to slip across at night.
Gov. Janet Napolitano proposed a similar plan in December, but it remained on the shelf while funding was sought.
Officials say 300 National Guard soldiers from Arizona are expected to begin arriving at the state's border in mid-June.
About 170 National Guard troops are already helping federal and state officers there with communications, fence construction and anti-drug efforts.
The National Guard has been providing such assistance along the Arizona border for more than 15 years.
Troops from the Utah Guard were deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 and helped with recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, McIntire said.
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Are you posting on FR or on the RNC's website?
You know the answer to that, he could put up a fence, concentration camps with gas chambers and the "conservatives" would be complaining Too Little, Too Late!
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Thanks for the info.
There is no such thing as progress to the unappeasables. Do you ever wonder why both parties ignore your concerns? I doubt that too.
And who suggested that?
Using these troops as laborers is a waste of highly capable men. They should hire cheap local laborers to do this work.
The Utah National Guard is being sent to another state to secure the border. I have a bunch of questions about the way that this shady operation is being executed. Isn't it unconstitutional to send the National Guard into another state if the guard has not been federalized? Who is in charge of these troops? Utah's Governor or the governor of the border state in which the troops are placed? Since these national guard troops are citizens of Utah wouldn't they have to be under the control of the Governor of Utah and not the governor of the border state?
Start calling the DC airheads with your thoughts on this. I called my Congressman last Friday and vented. Based on what's going on at the border, our troops need to be armed. To send them there, without weapons, is pure lunacy. Lunacy seems to be the norm as it relates to our elected representatives.
Until Bush sends enough armed troops to repel all invaders, all else is just a joke.
No point in complaining while we're winning. The pressure should now be applied to the House to stiffen their spines in negotiations with the Senate. Bush will sign anything that comes across his desk.
I would like to add, if the National Guard starts arresting people then it is for real not a public relations stunt.
I have yet to see a single person besides the administration's partisans who believes that this will have any effect at all on the problem.
We'll see how much the two parties will ignore this concern on the way to November!
Someone with much more knowledge than I can answer this, but my supposition is that because it's the "national" guard, it's under federal jurisdiction to some extent. And once deployed, I would also suppose that the guard comes under the control of whoever is in charge of the mission. All just guesswork on my part, however; someone else will know for sure.
My thoughts exactly. This whole thing is like the Clinton foreign policy, nothing really gets done, but it looks great on TV.
That is absolutely correct...Senate or House bill...Dubya will sign anything passed by the GOP controlled Congress.
It will be a non-issue if a bill passes, and less an issue if it does not. Most American don't fear uneducated illegals like you do. The issues in Nov will be the WOT, the economy, taxes, and a distant 14th will be immigration. If immigration was really an issue, which elected politicians, a leader for your view would have emerged by now...I mean besides diminutive Congress freak Tancredo from the border state of CO. You will be sadly disappointed when the GOP adds seats in the House and Senate in Nov.
"Most American don't fear uneducated illegals like you do."
Yes they do.
Whoop-dee-do.
If they're not going down armed, they may as well have sent construction workers.
Sheesh. I'm underwhelmed.
As far as I know Congress has not yet called the National Guard into the Active service of the United States as required under Article I Sec.8 . If Congress had federalized the troops they would be under the command of the president of the United States as required under Article II Sec.2 of the US Constitution. These troops, however, are under the control of the governors and not under the command of the president at all.
Yeh, he'll sign it, then he just won't allow funding to be spent on it, just like the 2000 agents that were supposed to come on borard acouple years ago and he only allowed 200. I've lost all faith in him. Sorry.
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