Defense Secretary James Mattis has come out in support of President Trump’s plan to militarize the border. He signed an order requesting that up to 4,000 National Guard troops be deployed as support.
Mattis’ order clarified that the troops’ mission will be to provide logistical help. Border Patrol agents will still carry the burden of apprehending illegal immigrants. The troops won’t be armed unless they need to defend themselves.
“We have so many agents working in permanent surveillance duties, in control rooms, watching cameras,” Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said in an interview.
“This will free our resources to put more agents in the field….it will increase the certainty of apprehension, which will allow us to target the criminal cartels.”
Despite the limited role of the proposed border troops, liberals are afraid that their presence will wreck the environment.
“This is not a war zone but instead is comprised of many peaceful and law-abiding communities that are also generous in their response to human suffering,” a group of Roman Catholic bishops wrote in a letter.
Democrats are vehemently against sending the National Guard to the border now that it’s been suggested by Trump, but in 2010 Barack Obama did the same thing. He sent 1,200 troops to help Border Patrol agents. Liberals didn’t mind the idea then, but they do now.
The states along the border will retain control of the troops they send, but the federal government will be footing the bill. The Trump administration wants nothing more than to stamp out illegal immigration.
“To those who wish to challenge the Trump Administration’s commitment to public safety, national security, and the rule of law, I warn you: illegally entering this country will not be rewarded, but will instead be met with the full prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.
Illegal border crossings have fallen to their lowest level in years. It’s still not enough.
(Source: Los Angeles Times)