[Terridan]

This has been happening since before 9/11. I still don't get why the military isn't assisting our Border Patrol, who are horribly undermanned. During the earlie 80's, along the Gulf Coast, the military was allowed to assist us in law enforcement with apprehending the drug cartels, by allowing us to use there equipnent and surveilance aircraft, etc. What gives? We still have ample men in the National Guard along with the other branches. Is it because they are needed to scramble for big city acts of terrorism?

[Major_Risktaker]

I still don't get why the military isn't assisting our Border Patrol, who are horribly undermanned.

Type in Immigration Lawyer$ in Google and you will get your answer. Their is to much money trading human flesh.

I'll do it for you:
Web Results 1 - 10 of about 706,000 for immigration lawyers.

Forget the US Military hire Mercenaries.

[ValerieUSA]

among them were 53 males of middle-eastern decent.

As long as they are not indecent, we should be fine.

[R. Scott]

During the earlie 80's, along the Gulf Coast, the military was allowed to assist us in law enforcement with apprehending the drug cartels, by allowing us to use there equipnent and surveilance aircraft, etc. What gives?

But these poor men aren’t evil nasty drug dealers! They are simple immigrants looking for a better life - remember that our ancestors were immigrants! /sarcasm.
They might even vote for Hanoi John!

[gitmo]

[911 Report page 97]

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), with its 9,000 Border Patrol agents, 4,500 inspectors, and 2,000 immigration special agents, had perhaps the greatest potential to develop an expanded role in counterterrorism. However, the INS was focused on the formidable challenges posed by illegal entry over the southwest border, criminal aliens, and a growing backlog in the applications for naturalizing immigrants.The White House, the Justice Department, and above all the Congress reinforced these concerns. In addition, when Doris Meissner became INS Commissioner in 1993, she found an agency seriously hampered by outdated technology and insufficient human resources.Border Patrol agents were still using manual typewriters; inspectors at ports of entry were using a paper watchlist; the asylum and other benefits systems did not effectively deter fraudulent applicants.₄₀

[ampat]

There are a few reasons why the military won't be guarding our borders until something catastrophic happens. The mindset in the military and for that matter all senior bureaucrats in the defense (or should I say offense) department is that there shouldn't be soldiers acting as police in any way, it sets a precedent and is too alike to marshal law. The military says it will be too expensive (although the troops get paid, fed and housed anyway).

You're right. We have dedicated military units, some right in the town where I live, who routinely do drug interdiction missions. While we have a lot of troops in Iraq, I personally think those troops not in Iraq would love to guard the borders, and it would provide training as well. I think the military needs a paradigm shift.