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.
If I had my way, you wouldn't be there for me to reply to.
A rubber room like Liberty Post is more your speed.
Bush is an open borders president. I get the feeling Bush feels a calling to help the needy of the world. The major problem is that the middle class of America will be the ones who suffer. I'm tired of these "philanthropic" politicians who want open borders. When they are willing to give up their multmillion dollar war chest to "help" the poor than we'll talk.
Maybe you open borders fanatics should head on over to Mecha or La Raza's websites.
They're more up your alley.
This place is turning into conspiracy central again.
How long is this additional training supposed to go before the other 200 hit the border?
Unless they are there within the month, this will turn badly for the President and those like Arnold that limited the National Guard on the border.
Nah. I'd rather respond to your extremist nonsense.
Bush "feels a calling" to supply big business with cheap labor.
It's all a question of priorities. We don't have any problem moving troops all over the world.
It's a U.N. shade of blue.
Can't argue with that. It most surely is.
Of course, I'm the extremist because I oppose open borders.
You should know that you open borders nuts are in the small minority here on this website, yet you demand those who oppose the open border policies of this government leave.
Don't you see anything wrong with that, or are most FReepers "extremists?"
I'm not "open borders." But anybody who doesn't want to shoot illegals is an OBL to you.
Show me where I said Illegals should be shot?
Back it up with a quote, or STFU, freak.
"Priorities"....Exactly. We protect borders all over the world better than our own.
I think they need you down Mexico way...lol...
Hey, most of us are against the guard being on the border. Most of us said from the start it was a scam. You remark is totally idiotic. You sound as if some how the guard members are in charge of who goes to the border. The decision is made by the governors of each state.
Most of the secure the borders people said this wouldn't work, we said that we need more Border Patrol people, as we were promised by Bush, instead of National Guard typists and ditch diggers, which is how they are using them. Most of us are against using our guard in this manner, it is a waste of time and also puts a strain on our guard members.
The open border people are the ones who said this was a great move and would really, really, secure the border and it proved Bush was really, really trying to secure the borders first. The rest of us called it the BS move it has turned out to be.
Hey, how about all the hype when they moved the first, supposedly, 1000 men into their ditch digging positions. Rmemeber, the MSM screaming how much it reduced the amount of illegals coming across. I wonder now, was that just BS too? Oh, of course not, the MSM always tells the truth.
You were quite happy there for a while, abelard.
LOL!! You guys really ARE in conspiracy mode, all the time, aren't you?
LOL!! You have me mixed up with somebody else.
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