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
|
|
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.
There have been no attacks since 9/11. Bush is protecting the nation just fine.
If true, this is pathetic. The President can't even come up with a decent-sized fig leaf to hide the naked deception he is trying to pull on the conservative base of his party. Shame on him.
Tell that to this family, and the thousands of other Americans harmed by criminal foreign nationals:
Well, I don't write 'em. I just cut and paste 'em.
It depends on what you definition of "on the border" is.
ping...
I know. Still it is an odd HL.
Yep.
Yeah, MS 13 has really been a blessnig to this country and our culture.
Got my attention. ;-)
The reality of the "situation" is, the average American has heard there are now National Guard on the border, and the "details" are moot. The average American does not care about numbers, they are "happy" that "something" is being done, or at least the appearance that something is being done.
That is what D.C. is banking on, along with the administration. IMO.
ping...
Keyes would never have allowed that to happen now, would he?
Go ahead and ignore the fact that open borders, and this administration's refusal to enforce our laws, have led to direct physical harm to thousands of American citizens. That's your style.
It's all Bush's fault. I know your mantra.
It's hard to tell the difference between you guys and John Murtha.
Keyes would pull up the welcome mat, close the door and enforce our immigration laws, unlike your heroes, yes.
The clap-trap from the president about the Guard being sent to the border was intended to send the message that we'll now have enough bodies on the border to stop the mass infiltration. Of course, like virtually everything issuing from the White House, it was all sizzle and no steak, storm and fury indicative of nothing substantive and only for public consumption and false appearances. Neither he nor the interest groups to which he owes and practices fealty want to prevent a single common laborer from being available for work detail in packing plants, the agricultural fields or cleaning up building sites. It's been called ''smoke and mirrors'' in other posts, but that designation of the egregious breach of faith with the American people doesn't even come close to reality.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.