Border Warfare or Political Gimmick: U.S. Troops Deployed to Mexican Border

 

National Guard troops began deploying after the announcement of the much-heralded authorization by President Trump. In press statements, Mattis and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen said DHS worked closely with border-state governors and identified security vulnerabilities the National Guard could address.

“We appreciate the governors’ support and are dedicated to working with them to secure the national borders,” Mattis and Nielsen said.

DoD and DHS are committed to “using every lever of power to support the men and women of law enforcement defending our nation’s sovereignty and protecting the American people,” they said, adding that they will continue to work with the governors to deploy the necessary resources until the nation’s borders are secure.

However, many members of the major news organizations possess limited knowledge of past deployments, claims former police official and political strategist Harvey “Wallbanger” Collins. “In the past, deployments of troops at the [Mexican] border were at best great photo opportunities for the press, at worst additional targets for drug cartels, renegade Mexican cops or soldiers, and a temptation for terrorists to show their disrespect for U.S. sovereignty.

In a syndicated news story in 2007 (Armed Mexicans Attack Unarmed National Guard Troops on US Soil By Jim Kouri, Saturday, January 6, 2007), this writer noted that President George W. Bush had deployed U.S. military troops to the United States border with Mexico. Unfortunately, Bush and his national security team took this bows well before they merited the praise of their supporters and constituents.

The 2007 news story detailed exactly way the deployment was destined for failure based on the constraints imposed by politically-correct Democrats and some Republican such as Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

Conservative Base editor Jim Kouri wrote at the time:

In a story that should have rang alarm bells in every newsroom across the nation, armed Mexican entered the United States and attacked unarmed National Guard troops working at a border patrol post near the US-Mexican border. The troops had to retreat to safety.

Not surprisingly, the news story received scant coverage by the mainstream news media and hardly a mention on the Fox News Channel. It’s a story that should outrage all Americans including President George W. Bush.

Unfortunately, President Bush and his Administration did not even comment on this vicious attack on unarmed US troops as well as the unbridled assault on American sovereignty. During a press conference held on Friday afternoon by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, there was not one word about this unprovoked attack on soldiers.

According to syndicated columnist and journalist Sher Zieve, the attack was initiated by several Mexican nationals at about 1:00 AM (et) Thursday morning at one of the National Guard entrance identification team posts near Sasabe. The troops retreated to safety. According to KVOA TV News reports in Tucson, AZ, no shots were fired and no one suffered injuries.

The US Border Patrol is conducting an investigation into the attack. Investigators are attempting to determine who the armed men were, what they were doing and why they approached the post before returning to Mexico.

A Border Patrol agent, who requested anonymity, says that the well-armed intruders were drug traffickers who are fully aware US National Guard troops are prohibited from carrying any type of weapon and have been ordered not to confront lawbreakers coming across the border. The Guard troops are not allowed to apprehend illegal entrants, as well.

“Basically, the National Guard troops are doing what private groups such as the Minuteman Project have done at US borders — observe and report,” said a Homeland Security Department official.

What he failed to mention is that the Minutemen didn’t cost taxpayers millions of dollars to just stand at the border unarmed and act as the eyes and ears of the already stretched-thin Border patrol agents.

“We don’t know if this was a matter of somebody coming up accidentally on the individuals, coming up intentionally on the individuals, or some sort of a diversion,” Rob Daniels, spokesman for the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector told KVOA News.

The west desert corridor has been the busiest in the Tucson Sector for marijuana seizures since last year. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents have seized 124,000 pounds of marijuana there since October 1, 2006.

With more Border Patrol agents and National Guard troops patrolling the Arizona section of the U.S.-Mexican border, it has become more difficult to smuggle drugs and people across may have caused drug and human smugglers to become more aggressive.

Since arriving in mid-June, the Guard has assisted the Border Patrol by manning control rooms, doing vehicle and helicopter maintenance, repairing roads and fences, constructing vehicle barriers and fences and spotting and reporting illegal entrants in entrance identification teams.

There are dozens of National Guard entrance identification teams along the Mexican border, including east and west of both Nogales and Sasabe and on the Tohono O’odham Nation. All of the teams are unarmed.

“This is one of the most expensive dog-and-pony shows dreamed up by the Washington establishment in recent history. Imagine using trained troops on the US border unarmed and prohibited from taking action. It’s a scam,” says Mike Baker, a political analyst.