February 28, 2006
Movement afoot to station Guard at Arizona-Mexico border
By Jacques Billeaud
Associated Press
PHOENIX — At one time, only the staunchest advocates for cracking down on illegal immigration backed the idea of putting National Guard troops along the porous Arizona-Mexico border.
But now the idea that was rejected in the past as being outside the National Guard’s responsibilities has the blessings of Arizona’s Democratic governor and cleared one half of the Republican-led Legislature.
The public’s frustration with Arizona’s role as the nation’s busiest illegal entry point has breathed new life into the idea, with a recent poll showing that nearly two-thirds of voters favor it.
“It has shifted to the mainstream political debate,†said Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network, an immigrant rights group that opposes the idea. “It’s disturbing.â€
Proponents say the National Guard’s assistance in federal immigration efforts could help reduce border-related crime and make it more difficult for the tens of thousands of people who try to cross into Arizona illegally each year.
Critics say the National Guard’s lack of training in immigration law could lead to racial profiling and that stationing troops at the border could hurt the morale of those who may have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Maj. Paul Aguirre, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard, declined to comment on whether sending troops to the border would hurt recruiting or retention.
“They are ready to go and do whatever the mission calls for,†said Master Sgt. Michael Sojourner, president of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Arizona, which hasn’t taken a position on the idea.
In the past, the National Guard’s involvement at the border has generally been limited to assisting anti-drug efforts, helping federal agents inspect vehicles at ports of entry and building border fences.
About 170 National Guard troops are helping in such efforts in Arizona, where politicians facing re-election races are feeling pressure to confront illegal immigration, even though it’s long been considered the sole province of the federal government.
Gov. Janet Napolitano has proposed extending the National Guard’s border efforts to have an unspecified number of troops work at crossing points, assist with cargo inspection and operate cameras and mobile observation points so they can report suspicious activity. The troops would likely remain there for several months.
A New Mexico lawmaker proposed a $30 million plan this year for his state’s National Guard to help federal authorities secure the border, but the measure never made it out of committee.
Retired Lt. Col. Donald Goldstein, a military historian at the University of Pittsburgh, said he doesn’t know of any instance in which a state sent National Guard troops to the border to confront illegal immigration.
Aguirre said the Arizona National Guard hasn’t taken a position on the border troops proposal, while a U.S. Border Patrol official declined to comment on it.
The cost of sending troops to the Arizona border hasn’t been specified. The governor has asked the military to pick up the tab. Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Department of Defense spokeswoman, declined to comment on the request.
Republican critics question whether Napolitano is serious about sending troops to the border, because they say she gave herself a way to back out by asking the military to pick up the tab.
One of two border troops bills now in the Legislature, a proposal by Republican Rep. John Allen of Scottsdale, would require Napolitano to send troops to the border and put $5 million of state money into that effort.
Napolitano said she’s not opposed to using state money for the plan, but pointed to the possible perils of taking that route.
“Once we start using state money, the likelihood of the federal government picking up its fair share goes way down,†Napolitano said.
Allen said his proposal, which won approval from the state House and awaits action in the Senate, is meant to hold Napolitano accountable for proposing the idea and serve as a wakeup call for the federal government to lessen the state’s immigration problems.
“They would say, ‘We actually have a state sending troops,â€â€™ Allen said.
Democratic Rep. Tom Prezelski of Tucson, an opponent, said putting the military at the border has produced a bad result in the past. He cited a 1997 case in which an 18-year-old American citizen was fatally shot by a Marine who was at the border in Texas to help curb drug smuggling.
Tanya Broder, an attorney for the National Immigration Law Center, a nonprofit group that aims to protect the rights of low-income immigrants, said troops would need special training so they can preserve the legal rights of both illegal immigrants and border-area citizens who may be mistaken for illegals.
She added that illegal immigrants who come to the United States to earn a better living won’t stop coming if troops are stationed at the border, just as increased enforcement hasn’t stopped illegal border crossings in the past.
Advocates for reducing immigration, while welcoming a military presence at the border, also said the idea won’t fix all of Arizona’s immigration woes.
The government needs to crack down on employers who encourage illicit border crossings by offering jobs to illegal immigrants. The state also must limit government benefits available to immigrants, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates limits on immigration. “Stopping illegal immigration doesn’t happen entirely at the border,†Mehlman said.
Arizona to station troops on border.
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