Troops Pulled Off The Border. Why?

[red states rule]

Why are we pulling troops off the border?

Guard troops pulled back from border
By Jerry Seper

National Guard troops assigned to help increase security along the U.S.-Mexico border are being pulled off the line a year earlier than promised, and some state and federal officials are not happy about it.

"The drawdown of Operation Jump Start's strength level is ill-timed and should be halted and re-examined," Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano wrote in a letter last week to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"Arizona remains a problematic border in the Southwest region, and the long-planned drawdown in personnel and patrol is premature," she said.

Miss Napolitano said President Bush's deployment of the Guard troops in her state had "made real progress" in cutting the number of people sneaking illegally into the country, and noted that the Border Patrol is not yet up to the manpower totals promised by the presidentially mandated program.

The reductions, which began July 1 and will be completed by Sept. 1, will result in a cut of Guard troops in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas from 6,000 to 3,000 — half of that promised by Mr. Bush in 2006.

In Arizona, the nation's most popular alien- and drug-smuggling corridor, the number of troops will be cut from 2,400 to 1,200.

Mr. Bush ordered the National Guard troops' deployment while the Border Patrol recruited, hired, trained and assigned 6,000 new agents, a recruitment goal the agency expected to reach by the end of 2008.

The White House did not return a call yesterday for comment, but officials at Homeland Security told reporters the Guard troops being withdrawn have been assigned to administrative support or maintenance work and are being replaced.

http://washingtontimes.com/article/2...108090083/1001

[JohnDoe]

Why are we pulling troops off the border?

Guard troops pulled back from border
By Jerry Seper

National Guard troops assigned to help increase security along the U.S.-Mexico border are being pulled off the line a year earlier than promised, and some state and federal officials are not happy about it.

"The drawdown of Operation Jump Start's strength level is ill-timed and should be halted and re-examined," Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano wrote in a letter last week to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"Arizona remains a problematic border in the Southwest region, and the long-planned drawdown in personnel and patrol is premature," she said.

Miss Napolitano said President Bush's deployment of the Guard troops in her state had "made real progress" in cutting the number of people sneaking illegally into the country, and noted that the Border Patrol is not yet up to the manpower totals promised by the presidentially mandated program.

The reductions, which began July 1 and will be completed by Sept. 1, will result in a cut of Guard troops in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas from 6,000 to 3,000 — half of that promised by Mr. Bush in 2006.

In Arizona, the nation's most popular alien- and drug-smuggling corridor, the number of troops will be cut from 2,400 to 1,200.

Mr. Bush ordered the National Guard troops' deployment while the Border Patrol recruited, hired, trained and assigned 6,000 new agents, a recruitment goal the agency expected to reach by the end of 2008.

The White House did not return a call yesterday for comment, but officials at Homeland Security told reporters the Guard troops being withdrawn have been assigned to administrative support or maintenance work and are being replaced.

http://washingtontimes.com/article/2...108090083/1001

they probably need these guys in Iraq...?

[red states rule]

It is not all doom and gloom in Iraq. I have posted many stories from different sources (even liberal sources), the surge is working in Iraq

[LiberalNation]

Cuz it costs a bunch of money. Not to mention they prolly want to use them elsewhere.

[Pale Rider]

Why are we pulling troops off the border?

Simple... bush is an open border clump of dog shit. He's the reason. bush wants mexico, America and canada to be one big country. Fuck our Constitution, he just wants to hand everything we've worked for, for over two hundred years to the mexicans and the canadians.

bush ought to be impeached for his neglect and open border policies. He's severely negligent in his sworn duties to protect this country.

[LiberalNation]

I wouldn't mind us all being one big country. Never gona happen in this life time tho, A North American union maybe.

[Monkeybone]

what good would a North American Union do other than give Mexicans an open run for the states? i would agree to it if Mexico could come up to our standards. other than that you know how much crime and gangs would come up with them? we already have enough of them bring that here as well along with TB and the likes

[Hagbard Celine]

Psst! Porous borders mean better business for our corporate overlords.

[Mr. P]

Troops Pulled Off The Border. Why?

Cuz it was working.

[Dilloduck]

I wouldn't mind us all being one big country. Never gona happen in this life time tho, A North American union maybe.

heck--think bigger--lets call the whole world one country .

[LiberalNation]

Too complicated then. Too many cultures that can't work but not NA.

[Pale Rider]

heck--think bigger--lets call the whole world one country .

Don't think they haven't already thought of that dillo.

[red states rule]

Simple... bush is an open border clump of dog shit. He's the reason. bush wants mexico, America and canada to be one big country. Fuck our Constitution, he just wants to hand everything we've worked for, for over two hundred years to the mexicans and the canadians.

bush ought to be impeached for his neglect and open border policies. He's severely negligent in his sworn duties to protect this country.

Not protecting the border is the greatest failure of his administration

[red states rule]

Psst! Porous borders mean better business for our corporate overlords.

[red states rule]

Now there is this.......

Border Patrol filling its ranks
By Jerry Seper
August 10, 2007

The man who oversees the U.S. Border Patrol says the agency will meet President Bush"s hiring goal of 6,000 new agents by the end of 2008, despite concerns by law-enforcement officials that the goal is unreachable.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham said that while increasing the agency"s manpower by 50 percent has been a major challenge, an aggressive recruiting drive has been successful and major revisions in training have streamlined the process while maintaining its quality.

Mr. Basham said the agency is "on track" to meet the goal helped, in part, by a training regime that includes a revamped schedule, a reduction in training days and a modernized Spanish-language program.

"In restructuring the programs and being smarter on how we reach our goals, we have made sure the training the agents receive is not diminished," he said. "I am completely satisfied we now have a better delivery system and we will get the job done."

But Kent Lundgren, coordinator of the 800-member National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, said the massive recruiting goal and quality training are not compatible.

"It can"t be done and still turn out functional, effective Border Patrol agents," Mr. Lundgren said. "It may be possible to run trainees in one door and out the other. But train them well? No."

In May 2006, Mr. Bush called for the 6,000 new agents, to be assigned along the Mexican border — the largest expansion since the agency was established in 1924. In the interim, Mr. Bush ordered 6,000 National Guard troops to the Southwest as part of Operation Jump Start.

At the time, Mr. Bush said that the troops were being deployed to give the Border Patrol time to recruit, hire, train and assign 6,000 new agents and that the initial commitment would continue for a year, after which the number would be drawn down to 3,000.

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs...108100070/1001