Since 2003 joint task force has sent hundreds of soldiers to border

Sierra Vista Herald, Sierra Vista Arizona ^ | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

FORT BLISS, Texas — Since 2003, a Department of Defense joint task force has provided more than 1,600 military members to help federal agencies along Arizona’s border with Mexico, a spokesman for the organization said Thursday.

Joint Task Force North, which was established in 2004, from assets previously called Joint Task Force Six, has provided active duty, Reserve and National Guard forces, “Working under the task force, primarily supporting other lead federal agencies, such as the Border Patrol,” Armando Carrasco said. Those who have been detailed to Arizona border areas have worked in the Douglas, Naco, Nogales and Yuma areas, he said.

Initially, Joint Task Force Six was created in 1989 and the military was tasked to assist federal agencies on anything involving drugs, Carrasco has said before.

In 2004, the name of the organization was changed to Joint Task Force North and the mission expanded to include helping with the flow of illegal immigrants crossing the border, as well as checking for weapons of mass destruction and potential terrorists.

Never are the military members armed or allowed to participate in law enforcement activities, such as apprehending people involved in illegal activities, Carrasco commented.

President George W. Bush has announced that he is directing the use of the National Guard along the border, with 200 expected to be assigned to Arizona next month for a 21-day period.

It is part of the president’s announced plan to use up to 6,000 National Guard forces during the next two years.

In the past, non task force Arizona National Guard units have worked out of the Border Patrol’s Naco and Douglas Stations in Cochise County provided support to the Border Patrol and to Ports of Entry, by providing vehicle inspections and monitoring Border Patrol systems.

Units under the control of the task force have done similar work, as well as putting up parts of a border fence and doing border road construction.

An active duty Army unmanned aerial system unit, under the control of Joint Task Force North, also operated along the Naco area this year, providing pilotless aircraft surveillance, reporting what was seen to Border Patrol agents, who made final decisions on what to do with the information.

Carrasco said the units deployed to the border under the task force’s control are being provided additional training which is important for them, especially for units preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.

[SandRat]

Border PING

[CrawDaddyCA]

Never are the military members armed or allowed to participate in law enforcement activities, such as apprehending people involved in illegal activities, Carrasco commented.

Then what's the freaking point?

[LtKerst]

Rules of engagement.....

Shoot the drivers, arrest the Illegals, deport...

repeat.

[upchuck]

So President Bush just proposed doing more of what's already being done?

Gee, I thought it was something new and groundbreaking.

Guess not.

[philman_36]

Just more evidence that no bill was, and has never been, necessary to send troops to the border.