"Homeland Security officials said that the troops would provide support to law enforcement officers already working along the border by helping observe and monitor traffic between official crossing points, and would help analyze trafficking patterns in hopes of intercepting illegal drug shipments. They performed similar tasks in an earlier deployment along the border from 2006 to 2008, when they also assisted with road and fence construction. The troops have not been involved directly in intercepting border crossers." Archibold
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I am on record here as favoring a political solution to the problem of illegal immigration to the US from or through Mexico. What I favor is a separation of residential and economic rights from those of citizenship so that people of both nationalities could live anywhere in the two countries and could own businesses and property anywhere as well. At the same time people who wanted to acquire citizenship and the vote would have to follow whatever the law was in the country in question. I know that this is a solution for the angels, not for humans. President Calderon's egregious and arrogant remarks in the US confirm me in that opinion.
What we are left with instead is a choice in the US as to whether or not we are serious in trying to control our borders and immigration. Drug smugglers are another and different matter. There is no question as to what to do about and to them.
So, Obama is going to send Guard troops to the border to do intelligence analysis and labor? Construction companies are not available to build fences? Citizen soldiers of the National Guard will sit on outposts "trail watching" perhaps alone or perhaps with the Border Patrol? Will they be armed? Will they have the deputized power of arrest? Posse Comitatus? Somehow I doubt that this would apply to state (or federal) troops augmenting law enforcement if they are properly deputized.
This is a dilemma. If you do not arm the troops and authorize them to use at least some force then their blood will be on your head when they run into armed border crossers. If you do authorize them to use force then the Mexicans' blood will be your responsibility.
The border situation was likely to come to this. Life is largely a series of choices made between bad options. pl
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/us/26border.html