Lisa Ferdinando at the DoD
News offers the below piece:
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2018 —
National Guard troops are deploying to the U.S. border with Mexico to work in
support functions for the Department of Homeland Security, including in
aviation, operational and infrastructure missions, officials from the departments
of Defense and Homeland Security told reporters here today.
The Defense Department will
provide DHS with up to 4,000 National Guard troops to support the April 4
presidential memorandum authorizing the enhanced presence along the southwest
border, said Robert G. Salesses, deputy assistant secretary of defense for
homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities.
The troops will work only in
operational support missions, he said, explaining their mission will not
include roles in which they would interact with migrants or other people
detained by DHS.
"They will not perform
law enforcement functions, and they will not be placed in direct contact with
personnel coming to the border," Salesses explained.
He spoke at a news conference
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, alongside Army
Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, and
Ronald D. Vitiello, the acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection.
Hundreds of Troops Currently
Supporting Mission
President Donald J. Trump
authorized the National Guard, with the affected governors’ approval, to
enhance its support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern
U.S. border. In the presidential memorandum April 4, he said a “drastic surge
of illegal activity on the southern border” is threatening national security.
Defense Secretary James N.
Mattis authorized up to 4,000 National Guard troops for the mission. Troops
began deploying immediately.
While noting that the number
changes daily, Hokanson said his latest figures show more than 900 troops have
deployed for the mission: 250 in Arizona, just over 60 in New Mexico, and
around 650 in Texas.
Enhanced Presence is Welcome
Vitiello welcomed the enhanced
presence to aid in securing the border.
"The National Guard will
perform many operational support functions, including monitoring cameras and
senor feeds to assist with the overall situational awareness,” he said. “They
will provide much-needed aerial support, and [we] anticipate they will help
with repairing roads and vehicles, among other duties.”
In addition, National Guard
members will provide surveillance, engineering, administrative and mechanical
support to border agents, he said.
“Most importantly, the Guard
will immediately expand our capabilities on the border, which will increase the
effectiveness of our law enforcement operations,” he said.
Mattis authorized the use of
Title 32 duty status and DoD funds for up to 4,000 National Guard personnel to
support DHS’s southern border security mission while under the command and
control of their respective governors through Sept. 30.
Title 32 status is full-time
duty other than inactive duty performed by a member of the National Guard. It
allows the governor, with the approval of the president or the secretary of
defense, to order a member to duty for operational homeland defense activities.
Arming the troops will be limited to circumstances that might require
self-defense, the DoD memo says.
Note: In the above Texas National
Guard photo taken by Sgt. Mark Otte a Texas National Guardsman and a Customs
and a Border Protection agent discuss the border security mission on the shores
of the Rio Grande River in Starr County, Texas on April 10, 2018.
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