Border securityDHS to drawdown troops along U.S.-Mexico border
Beginning in January the National Guard troops deployed along the U.S-Mexico border will begin heading home to their respective states as part of a broader shift in their mission; the 1,200 troops currently deployed will be reduced to 300, with the majority of them focusing on supporting border patrol efforts in the air rather than on the ground
DHS to cut Guard deployment on border by 75% // Source: presstv.ir
Beginning in January the National Guard troops deployed along the U.S-Mexico border will begin heading home to their respective states as part of a broader shift in their mission.
The National Guardsmen have been stationed along the border for nearly a year and a half, but now DHS officials say it is time for a “transition.”
The 1,200 troops currently deployed will be reduced to 300, with the majority of them focusing on supporting border patrol efforts in the air rather than on the ground. In a news release, DHS said it would add “a number of new multi-purpose aerial assets” equipped with the “latest surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.”
DHS officials say that the Border Patrol’s expansion efforts coupled with new technology and a decrease in apprehensions along the border no longer make the National Guard troops necessary.
According to DHS figures, apprehensions of illegal immigrants by border patrol agents, a key indicator, has fallen 53 percent since fiscal year 2008. In addition, the Border Patrol has doubled in size to nearly 22,000 agents.
In response to the announcement, several lawmakers opposed the move, urging DHS to keep the troops along the border.
Representative Ted Poe (R – Texas) said, the initial deployment was “not enough to begin with, although they are doing as good a job as they can.”
Poe added that with the United States only in “operational control” of 44 percent of the southwestern border, its operations could not be deemed a “success.”
Fellow Republican Congressman from Texas Lamar Smith echoed Poe’s sentiments stating, “If the Obama administration’s goal is border security, their actions undermine their objective.”
“We should keep guardsmen on the ground until the Border Patrol can gain operational control of the majority of the U.S.-Mexico border,” he said.
Poe said he plans to reverse the decision.
“I’ll ask the president to reconsider and then try to figure a way, bipartisan, to show that this is not a wise move,” he said.
Meanwhile Representative Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) welcomed the announcement.
“While I appreciate the service of our National Guard forces, requiring them to engage in border law enforcement activity is not cost effective,” he said.
