Obama orders some troops to the border

NY Times:

President Obama will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border and increase spending on law enforcement, yielding to demands from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers there that border security be tightened, administration officials said.

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Homeland Security officials said that the troops would provide support to law enforcement officers already working along the border by helping observe and monitor traffic between official crossing points, and would help analyze trafficking patterns in hopes of intercepting illegal drug shipments. They performed similar tasks in an earlier deployment along the border from 2006 to 2008, when they also assisted with road and fence construction. The troops have not been involved directly in intercepting border crossers.

Calls to send troops to the border mounted after the shooting death of a rancher in southern Arizona on March 27; the police suspect the rancher was killed by someone involved in smuggling. Advocates of a new state law in Arizona that gives the police a greater role in immigration enforcement also emphasized what they considered a failure to secure the border as a reason to pass the law.

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I suppose it is something, but I don't know how effective the last attempt to use the guard on the border was. He would be better served to take stimulus money that is unspent and finish the border fence which has been effective where it has been tried. I have linked to photos of pickups full of people driving across the border leaving a trail of dust. Adding drones would probably pick up this kind of crossing too.

Sen. Hutchison has requested more drones on the border. Between drones and a fence we could significantly cut the illegal border crossings. It would also reduce the opportunities for drug smuggling. Both would do much more to stop the illegal immigration than "comprehensive immigration reform" which would reward those who came here illegally and encourage more illegal immigration.

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