Jun 30 9:35 PM US/Eastern
Posted on 06/30/2006 7:15:57 PM PDT by EternalVigilance
| Only 483 Guard Working on Mexican Border Jun 30 9:35 PM US/Eastern
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By AARON C. DAVIS
Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
On the deadline to have 2,500 troops along the Mexican border, the National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed.
But Guard officials said more than 2,000 others were somewhere inside the four southwestern border states, training or helping plan the deployment. He and Bush administration officials argued Friday that the presence of troops in those states spelled success in the first stage of the mission.
Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, had promised June 1 that by the end of the month 2,500 Guard troops would be working "on the border."
"As defined by the operation, the National Guard has met and exceeded its goal of deploying 2,500 soldiers and airmen to the four Southwest border states," said White House spokesman Blain Rethmeier. "Progress to date is real and the Guard's efforts are making a positive difference in this national effort."
As evidence, he said the early arrival of troops had allowed the Border Patrol to send 125 agents "back to the front lines," and helped the Border Patrol catch nearly 200 illegal immigrants, seize 123 pounds of marijuana, 18 pounds of cocaine and seven vehicles.
Through initial pay requests filed with the Air Guard and orders filed with the Army Guard, the Guard bureau verified 2,547 troops were in the four border states for the mission, said Daniel Donohue, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau.
Only 483 were physically on the border, he conceded.
The remaining forces _ 1,816 _ are in training somewhere in the four states; 248 are assigned to headquarters and planning roles, Donohue said.
Asked to clarify, Blum spokesman Mark Allen responded by e-mail that the general had never specifically promised to deliver troops to a "geographically defined latitude and longitude."
Still, there were signs the deployment was picking up speed.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said 1,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen were either on the border or "on their way," adding 500 to totals released Thursday. But his office said the additional troops didn't actually reach the border, but were considered deployed when they left Friday for two weeks of training.
Several states whose Guard leaders and governors had been contacted by the National Guard Bureau in the last 48 hours also made announcements Friday that they would send troops.
Gov. Mike Easley of North Carolina said he would reluctantly deploy 300 troops to the border in mid-July.
"I would prefer not to have any of the North Carolina National Guard deployed to other states at this time," he said. "However, the Guard units in the western states are spread thin as they battle raging wildfires. We must all step up and do our part to keep our country safe."
Kentucky announced it would send up to 650 National Guard troops. Arkansas also said it would send 200. New Jersey also said it would send up to 650 for three-week assignments.
Damon Foreman, senior patrol agent and spokesman for the Border Patrol in San Diego, said agents there eagerly await the Guard's help.
"We would welcome all the help we could get. We could absorb them as fast as we could give them instructions on what to do," Foreman said, adding that the delayed deployment, however, had not affected operations.
"We've been doing a considerably effective job for a long time now, we'll keep doing our job whether the whole number of Guard show up tomorrow, a week from tomorrow, or a month from now."
Bush's plan for stemming illegal immigration by using National Guardsmen in a support role called for 2,500 troops to be on the border by June 30, and 6,000 by the end of July.
Bush had said the mission would free up thousands of officers now on other duties to actively patrol the border. Guardsmen are expected to build fences, conduct routine surveillance and take care of other administrative duties for the border patrol.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hey, if you want to make it about Bush in every post, that's your call.
You did see him raise his hand and take an oath to protect the country and uphold its laws, didn't you? I did.
Why would you say that? 19,000 murders? we average about 16000 murders per year so almost half the murders are committed by illegal aliens?
You better check you math again.
He doesn't say where the numbers comes from. I would like a link to the source of the numbers.
And you can't stop posting to me, can you, mr. bankersteviejack?
Is Bush to blame for all those illegals killing Americans, or not?
And, if he's not, why the hell do you trot that garbage out from that goofball Steve King? Didn't he just have to apologize for poking fun at an old lady?
""Why would you say that? 19,000 murders? we average about 16000 murders per year so almost half the murders are committed by illegal aliens?""
More I Q problems : )
What math? He is claiming 19000 murders by Illegals. I am just asking for the official source that he is using to verify that.
"Is Bush to blame for all those illegals killing Americans, or not?"
He shares the blame with Rove, and the Senate, and the rest of the pro illegal immigration lobby, yes.
Department of Justice
That's what you want to do. You've trashed him at every opportunity, Tom. That's probably why anybody who knows you and reads your posts here decide to not hire you for their campaigns.
Let's just blame Bush for everything and get it over with. That's what you want, isn't it? You and bankersteviejack?
Then talk to the Congressman.
He's on the House subcommittee that handles immigration. Pretty informed guy. Probably better than just about anyone else in the country when it comes to this issue.
Ok I'll check. Thanks.
They are all documented in the book, as well.
so is the fact that 95% of all oustanding murder warrants in Los angeles County are for illegal immigrants.
Your usual questionable debating tactics. Change the subject. Make it personal. Avoid the substance.
Nothing new under the sun.
Thank YOU for being fair, and demanding accuracy, as you should.
Rove? Karl Rove is the reason Americans are getting killed by illegal aliens?
You're getting nuttier by the minute, bankersteviejack.
Do people actually pay you for what you do?
""Trusting and acknowledging God in government is not only constitutional, it is the very basis and the mainstay of our free republic.""
AMEN, brother! And if we lose this, we are indeed done for!
Try to focus, sinkspur. The subject is the border and immigration.
George W. Bush is the one man who could solve this problem forthwith, using his constitutional powers and the resources already budgeted to our military.
The only thing lacking, still, beyond the words, is the will.
If you will notice, that is what the facts presented by this article show, again.
""Do people actually pay you for what you do?""
Very well, thank you. Do people pay you for your obtuseness and snide ignorant remarks?
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