This is just another magic show. The President cannot deploy National Guard troops except at the request of the Governor. Secondly, National Guard troops can only make arrests confined to the state they serve. Thirdly, there aren't nearly enough NG troops in the pool who can be deployed for this kind of duty.
So, what it boils down to is this:
1. The presence of NG troops will depend on political climate of each individual state.
2. There will not be consistent coverage.
3. There isn't the manpower to make a difference.
True.
2. There will not be consistent coverage.
Very true.
3. There isn't the manpower to make a difference.
Their presence there will make some difference. The Minuteman Project proved that if there is a stronger presence, the border intruders won't come across there.
Here's the problem. One reason that the Minuteman Project worked so well is that there was an unfounded threat - a perceived threat - that the Minutemen were "caza migrantes" or "migrant hunters" because they were armed. Because of the false perception of some really negative consequences for tangling with the Minutemen, the border intruders were not too excited to cross in their areas of operation. The border intruders don't feel that same intimidation with Border Patrol. All BP does is round them up, give them water and a few bandaids, possibly a sack lunch, and bus them back across the border. Big deal!
The National Guard presence there would serve to be somewhat intimidating if it is done right. But it likely won't go far enough. And it is certain that if President Bush couples this new border security effort with more promises of amnesty and citizenship, the effort will fail and the border intruders will not be stopped.