[GAB-1955]

Look, National Guardsmen are not police. They are soldiers, trained to fight enemy soldiers or to disperse crowds. But they can free up Border Patrolmen to be more effective and they can get their training on the border, so it's not a bad plan. Do you want us to shoot people the minute they cross over the border? If they're unarmed? Not good politics and not practical to put infantry. We need a paramilitary Border Guard, not the DoD there.

[unseen]

Look the name of the force in question is National GUARDSman. As in guard our nation from attack and invasion. They are suppose to protect and defend our country. The NG duty was not fighting foriegn wars. The NG up until the elimination of the draft had always been to protect and defend the country. Their role changed once it can change again with a strok of a pen. Do I want the NG to be armed? yes. Do I want them to shoot? only if they are shot at which several border patrol agents have been. If we can have armed guardsman in our airports and on the streets of NY then by God we can have them armed on our borders. Do I want them to check papers and identifications at the border? yeap Do I want them to search for illegal drugs and aliens in trucks, cars and tunnels? yeap. Do I want them to be able to detain illegal aliens, drug runner, and people smugglers? yeap. How long do I want them to do this? until the damn border is secure and until we can replace them with border patrol agents. Just sending them down their to 'look good' sends the message to MExico that hey come one come all we don't care.