Grijalva slams military-on-border bill; some call move overdue

"The whole push for militarization of the border does nothing to address national security."

What? How could in NOT help to secure the homeland against terrorism and invaders? This Garcia is an idiot!

A National Security PING!

In a statement issued yesterday, Grijalva said allowing military operations domestically, even on the border, "sets a dangerous precedent.

Since when is jprotecting our borders a dangerous precedent?

Some people need to get a life.

Anything that those two nut cases are against the rest of us rational patriotic citizens are FOR!

Maintaining a clear distinction between the armed forces and law enforcement is "a crucial element of democracy and one we should not erase," he said.

Wonder what his position on the tanks and military 'advisors' at Waco is? I'm not sure, but i think border defense is a valid and legal military duty. Posse comitatus wouldn't apply to border enforcement? Anyone know for sure?

No senor Grijalva is a traitor first idiot second.

Two similar bills have been voted on in Congress since Rep. Jim Kolbe (RINO-AZ) has been in Congress. Despite the border invasion trampling his district and the desires of his consituents to have the military again put on the border, Rep. Kolbe has voted twice against the bills. One of these bills was voted on less than a month after 9/11 - yet Kolbe voted against it.

With so-called Republicans like Kolbe, who needs Democrats?

Bump!

g

And let's not forget Kolbe pressured the Border Patrol into closing the highway checkpoints here. Now the illegals can catch a ride north right at the border.

A possile scenario: A 2 or 3 mile strip of land running the entire length of our borders should be declared as a military reservation and be patrolled by the military. American citizens would be allowed free access, but any suspected unauthorized persons (e.g., suspected illegals, fugitives, smugglers, ciminals, etc.) would be turned over by the military to the proper civil authority for processing. The military would not have the power to arrest.

possile = possible

One of the first jobs of the military is to
repel CRIMINAL INVADERS.

Throughout human history border control has been a function that has been under the perview of armies. What's not to understand here?

Why doesn't Congress just fund enforcement of the current laws??

We have illegals who openly operate in the US, provide aid to other illegals. We have police who know of them and cannot arrest them because the feds won't deport them because the feds don't have the money or resources to do so.

Of course as Commander in Chief Bush can
already do this even without the bill.
Should have happened long ago.

This is an immivasion, and one day America will act like it.

This Garcia is an idiot!

This has to be the first time I disagree with you. She knows exactly what she's doing. It's all about bringing this country down.

So-called republican politicians like McCain, Kolbe, Cannon, etc. are the idiots.

I did the digging. Make that three out of three times that Koyote Kolbe has voted against authorizing the INS and now the DHS to request troops on the border.

Here's the relevant data:

H.R. 1588 - National Defense Authorization Act for 2004

H.AMDT.140 (A002)

AMENDMENT PURPOSE:
An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 108-120 to authorize the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, under certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions, to assist the Department of Homeland Security in the performance of border protections functions.

Relevant discussion of the Amendment

Roll Call 206 - See who voted for or against this amendment. Notice RINO Kolbe voted against it.

RINOs who voted against it:

Bereuter
Buyer
Davis, Tom
Dreier
Ehlers
Flake
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Houghton
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Paul!!?
Pearce Putnam
Simmons
Souder
Thornberry
Wilson (NM)

Rep. Tom Tancredo's comments in support of the Amendment:

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
Every nation on the face of the Earth uses their military for the purpose of defense and uses their military on their borders for that very purpose. We are unique in that we have chosen over the years to avoid that use of the military, but the time has come for us to rethink this. The time has come for us to use our military in a way that every other country uses their military, to protect and defend their own borders. It is true, I have heard so often from Members of the other side, that we have our military spread all over the world. Undeniably true. And intriguingly and almost ironically in many of the places where we have our military stationed, they are stationed for the purposes of defending borders. We are defending borders in Korea. We are defending borders in Kosovo. We are defending borders in Afghanistan with our troops. Yet we refuse to use our troops to defend our borders. Is that not peculiar, to say the least? Is it not ironic at least?
The issue of the training, let me relate a story that happened to me. I had the opportunity to visit the northern border about a year and a half ago, not too far from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. There was an exercise at the time underway. One hundred Marines were on the border working in conjunction with the border patrol and the Forest Service. This was a 2-week exercise, just to see what we could do, what actually we could do to help improve border security by using the military. It was a fascinating experiment, and I hope the gentlemen who have raised the issue of training so often would pay close attention here because it was an experience that I think they should all observe.
One hundred Marines on the border trying to control in this case about 100 miles of border. And they brought with them three UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles, and two radar facilities. And in the use of these radar facilities and the UAVs, they were able to actually stop, while I was there, four people who were attempting to come across on all-terrain vehicles carrying 400 pounds of drugs; and a light plane was intercepted using those two radar stations. The interesting thing is that when I was talking to the commander of the Marine detachment who was there subsequent to this experience, he said, This was the best training we have ever had. This was the best training we have ever had. He said we were operating in a realtime environment. There were real bad guys we were trying to stop coming across this border, and this is the roughest terrain we have ever operated in.
So when we are talking about the use of the military, when we are talking about training exercises and how if we were actually to employ the military on the border that this would somehow or other detract from their own training activities, I would say it is just the opposite. Talk to the Marines. Ask them about whether or not this was not what I have just described, the ``best training activity'' they have ever had.
I completely support those folks who have indicated a desire to put more resources into the border patrol. Absolutely, no problem at all as far as I am concerned. I would vote for it in a heartbeat. I would encourage all of my colleagues to do exactly the same thing. The reality is this, that even if tomorrow we doubled or tripled the amount of people and resources that we would devote to the border patrol, just the process of getting them trained online and ready to work would be so long and so cumbersome that frankly it seems to me that this alternative, the use of the military when necessary to augment, no one is suggesting and certainly my friend from Virginia is not suggesting that this be the place for the military forever, but they could augment the services of the border patrol. They could provide the technical capabilities, the unmanned vehicles, the radar stations and all the rest, as I say, that the military can bring with them and be benefited by in the process.
It seems like a very symbiotic relationship that we can actually use the military and the border patrol in conjunction with each other to accomplish the goal of a safe, secure border, a border that would in fact in reality, a secure border, have helped prevent the kind of horrible events that we have been witnessing recently.

AMENDMENT LANGUAGE as Passed:

   SEC. __. ASSIGNMENT OF MEMBERS TO ASSIST BUREAU OF BORDER SECURITY AND BUREAU OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
    (a) ASSIGNMENT AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.--Chapter 18 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 374 the following new section:``§374a. Assignment of members to assist border patrol and control
    ``(a) ASSIGNMENT AUTHORIZED.--Upon submission of a request consistent with subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense may assign members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to assist--
    ``(1) the Bureau of Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security in preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens into the United States; and
    ``(2) the United States Customs Service of the Department of Homeland Security in the inspection of cargo, vehicles, and aircraft at points of entry into the United States to prevent the entry of weapons of mass destruction, components of weapons of mass destruction, prohibited narcotics or drugs, or other terrorist or drug trafficking items.
    ``(b) REQUEST FOR ASSIGNMENT.--The assignment of members under subsection (a) may occur only if--
    ``(1) the assignment is at the request of the Secretary of Homeland Security; and
    ``(2) the request is accompanied by a certification by the Secretary of Homeland Security that the assignment of members pursuant to the request is necessary to respond to a threat to national security posed by the entry into the United States of terrorists, drug traffickers, or illegal aliens.
    ``(c) TRAINING PROGRAM REQUIRED.--The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a training program to ensure that members receive general instruction regarding issues affecting law enforcement in the border areas in which the members may perform duties under an assignment under subsection (a). A member may not be deployed at a border location pursuant to an assignment under subsection (a) until the member has successfully completed the training program.
    ``(d) CONDITIONS OF USE.--(1) Whenever a member who is assigned under subsection (a) to assist the Bureau of Border Security or the United States Customs Service is performing duties at a border location pursuant to the assignment, a civilian law enforcement officer from the agency concerned shall accompany the member.
    ``(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to--
    ``(A) authorize a member assigned under subsection (a) to conduct a search, seizure, or other similar law enforcement activity or to make an arrest; and
    ``(B) supersede section 1385 of title 18 (popularly known as the `Posse Comitatus Act').
    ``(e) ESTABLISHMENT OF ONGOING JOINT TASK FORCES.--(1) The Secretary of Homeland Security may establish ongoing joint task forces if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the joint task force, and the assignment of members to the joint task force, is necessary to respond to a threat to national security posed by the entry into the United States of terrorists, drug traffickers, or illegal aliens.
    ``(2) If established, the joint task force shall fully comply with the standards as set forth in this section.
    ``(f) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide to the Governor of the State in which members are to be deployed pursuant to an assignment under subsection (a) and to local governments in the deployment area notification of the deployment of the members to assist the Department of Homeland Security under this section and the types of tasks to be performed by the members.
    ``(g) REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENT.--Section 377 of this title shall apply in the case of members assigned under subsection (a).
    ``(h) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.--No assignment may be made or continued under subsection (a) after September 30, 2005.''.
    (b) COMMENCEMENT OF TRAINING PROGRAM.--The training program required by subsection (b) of section 374a of title 10, United States Code, shall be established as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.--The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 374 the following new item:

   ``374a. Assignment of members to assist border patrol and control.''.

bump.

It seems Ranch Rescue operates as a para-miliary force and they are very effective. Hell, they are being sued because they are so effective.

Time to call our Senators and ask them if they want a short lived Senate experience. Let's get behind this bill and push for it's passage.