WASHINGTON — Under pressure to help secure the US border with Mexico, President Obama Tuesday ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the US Southwest and said he would ask Congress to approve an additional $500 million to pay for law-enforcement activities in the region.
In part, these moves are a response to rising crime. An Arizona rancher was shot near the border in March – a murder police believe related to human smuggling activity. Kidnappings linked to Mexican drug cartel activity have increased in many Southwest cities. In Phoenix, for instance, kidnapping has gone up 30 percent over the last three years.
The National Guard deployment is also a bow to political reality.
Senate Republicans were planning to attempt to force a vote this week on just such an action. Arizona has already enacted a state immigration law the administration has criticized as draconian. If Obama is to have any chance of passing comprehensive immigration reform, he needs to do something himself about the deteriorating border situation.
In a prelude to the coming debate on the issue, Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona on the Senate floor Tuesday judged Obama’s actions insufficient.
“I appreciate the additional 1,200 [troops] being sent … as well as an additional $500 million, but it’s simply not enough,” Senator McCain said.
Administration officials announced Obama’s reinforcement of the border shortly after the president met with Senate Republicans, who pressed him on immigration and border problems, as well as other issues.
The newly deployed National Guard troops won’t themselves be riding along the US-Mexican border to help stop illegal immigration. Instead, they will work on intelligence and surveillance support issues, as well as provide training for local law enforcement, administration officials said.
By doing such work they will free up Border Patrol agents for front-line duty. They’ll serve as a supplement to existing forces until more Border Patrol workers can be hired and trained.
President George W. Bush ordered a similar deployment in 2006.
The Department of Defense dislikes using such troops to guard against illegal immigrants and drug and human smugglers. Pentagon officials do not want to be criticized for a perceived militarization of the border.
But the administration has been under increasing pressure to do something – and that pressure can be bipartisan. Earlier this month a Senate caucus on international drug trafficking held a hearing on the implications for the US of Mexican cartel violence.
Along with cross-border kidnappings, home invasions are on the rise in the Southwest, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of California, a co-chair of the caucus. Since 2006, a special Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms effort to interdict smuggled firearms has seized some 6,700 guns and 780,000 rounds of ammunition, she said.
In addition, Border Patrol strength has been doubled over recent years, from 10,000 to 20,000 agents.
“Now all of this amounts to substantial progress, and yet the continuing reports of criminal activity and the escalation of that activity causes us great concern,” said Senator Feinstein.
Or we could reverse the harm done Mexico’s economy by CAFTA, which U.S. agribusiness used as their excuse to dump underpriced corn, beans and rice into Mexico’s market until they had driven about 15 million Mexican farmers out of business. Many of these 15 million now desperately seek work – any work – on our side of the border even though their lives are at risk by doing so.
Helping re-start Mexico’s agricultural sector may not solve the immigration problem completely, but certainly would ease it for both our country and theirs and would provide some justice to the farmers we hurt.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m under the impression that sending 1,200 guys to beef up security on the Mexican border doesn’t really do very much. Being as how it’s 2,000 miles long. Then again, perhaps the point of the gesture is to emphasize its futility.
One final question, though: how is it that the 1,200 Guardsmen and assorted resources Obama wants to send to the border will cost $500m, while McCain says sending 6,000 Guardsmen will only cost $250m more? Sounds like there’s a sale on. Maybe McCain is willing to hire for the patrols some nice immigrants who don’t demand as much as the National Guardsmen.
I’m curious how much it would cost to hire 1,200 auditors to conduct surprise audits of businesses in areas with large amounts of illegal immigration. Especially if businesses who hire illegal immigrants face a fine of, say, $10k per illegal immigrant employed.
What Congress is doing really is a farce. Hassle Hispanics, but do nothing effective to keep illegals from coming to work for your campaign contributors.