Vol. 73/No. 12      March 30, 2009

Roger Rufe, the Homeland Security Department’s head of operations, told a congressional panel the following day that the Obama administration is working on a blueprint for dealing with the border. In the first phase he said his department would use its own personnel. The second phase would involve other federal agencies and in the third stage military forces would be deployed to the border.

The president said he didn’t know what would be the “tipping point” that would require troops. "I think if one U.S. citizen is killed because of foreign nationals who are engaging in violent crime, that's enough of a concern to do something about it," he said.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Mexico recently to discuss additional support the U.S. government could provide and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit the country March 25.

Border-state governors have been pressing for troops. Texas governor Rick Perry announced at a press conference at the border in El Paso February 24 that he had asked Washington for 1,000 more "boots on the ground." “I don't care if they are military, National Guard or customs agents," he said. "We're very concerned that the federal government is not funding border security adequately. We must be ready for any contingency."

Texas Homeland Security director Steve McCraw named Mexican gangs as "the most significant threat Texas faces," and asked the state legislature for $135 million to boost his department. Last year Governor Perry gave Texas border sheriffs $2 million to set up a “virtual surveillance” program with web cameras placed along the border to catch immigrants and "other suspicious activity."

Arizona governor Jan Brewer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates requesting 250 more National Guard soldiers be sent to that state’s border with Mexico.

The last major National Guard mobilization along the U.S.-Mexico border, called Operation Jump Start, took place from 2006 to 2008. By the end of July 2008 more than 30,000 National Guard troops had participated in the operations.

Previous use of troops along the border has met with opposition. U.S. Marines deployed there in 1997, also supposedly to end drug trafficking, shot and killed an 18-year-old shepherd in Texas, sparking widespread protests that set back government efforts to militarize the border.

In another development, 1,500 people packed a local church March 13 chanting “Legalization now!” in Spanish and waved banners declaring, “Deportation is not the answer! Legalization is the solution!” reported the El Paso Times. The meeting had been organized to hear Democratic party politicians speak on immigration reform.

Steve Warshell contributed to this article.
 
 
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