Obama to slash National Guard force on U.S.-Mexico border - Polidicks

[release] Citing budget cuts, the Obama administration early next year will cut the number of National Guard troops patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border by at least half, according to a congressman who was briefed on the plan.The National Guard said an announcement will be made by the White House “in the near future,” but Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who has learned of the plans, said slashing the deployment in half is the minimum number, and he said it will mean reshuffling the remaining troops along the nearly 2,000-mile border.In California, that will mean going from 264 guard troops down to just 14, he said.Mr. Hunter said the pending cuts are another reason Congress and President Obama should revisit the automatic defense spending reductions that kicked in with the failure last month of the deficit supercommittee.“What’s apparent now is that a decision not to continue their deployment, even though it might be in the national interest to do so, would be based entirely on budget constraints on the Defense Department,” Mr. Hunter said.Mr. Obama deployed 1,200 guard troops to the border in June 2010 in an effort to bolster the U.S. Border Patrol and try to prevent the growing drug violence in Mexico from spilling into the U.S.He charged the guard with aiding in intelligence gathering and other backup duties, though troops have not been actually enforcing immigration laws.The troops were scheduled to be drawn down this June, but Mr. Obama extended their deployment, saying there was still work to be done.The troops were meant to be a bridge to beef up support staffing while the Border Patrol hired more agents under a bill Congress passed early in his term.A Homeland Security Department official said they have made progress in hiring and training new agents.There were supposed to be nearly 21,500 agents in the Border Patrol as of Oct. 1, which represents an increase of 1,300 since Mr. Obama took control of the budgeting process in 2009.Homeland Security officials say the boost in resources at the border has made the region safer. They pointed to the latest figures that showed illegal immigrants apprehended along the Southwest border fell to 327,577 in fiscal year 2011, down from 447,731 in 2010 and from 1.6 million in 2000, which was the peak year. Homeland security officials say fewer apprehensions means fewer people are trying to cross.Sending guard troops to the border is a recurring strategy for administrations seeking an instant boost in security.President George W. Bush deployed 6,000 guard troops in 2006 to counter criticism he wasn’t taking border security seriously. As with Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush said the agents were meant to be a bridge until the Border Patrol could hire more agents.[/release] [URL]http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/12/obama-slash-national-guard-force-us-mexico-border/[/URL] Good or bad? You decide

[i]And then we invade Mexico[/i]

[I]Then when nobody is looking canada invades![/I]

While I like the idea of less troops on the border, I find the president issuing orders to the national guard to be in poor taste. In general I find the federal government issuing orders to the guard, which are the de facto state militias, to be annoying. The guard are to be used in extreme circumstances, such as natural disasters, widespread public disorder, and obviously as a defense force against invasion. For everything else we have law enforcement agencies and the federal military. If you can't make it work with law enforcement and the federal military, and all the restrictions imposed upon them, then perhaps you need to take a good look at what you are doing.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;33697607][I]Then when nobody is looking canada invades![/I][/QUOTE] All 20 of them

[QUOTE=Lambeth;33697607][I]Then when nobody is looking canada invades![/I][/QUOTE] Lol yeah right

[QUOTE=Lambeth;33697607][I]Then when nobody is looking canada invades![/I][/QUOTE] Why would we do that? I have no desire to live among those god fearing fatsos. [editline]12th December 2011[/editline] [sp]Just kidding. There's lots of good about the states. Including it's cheap-everything, and my step dad[/sp]

But, doing so leaves us vulnerable to the illegal aliens! Now our immigration problem will be worse!

[QUOTE=Atlascore;33697659]What immigration problem? A lot of people stopped coming here when the economy imploded.[/QUOTE] Ahaha, no. Its still an issue, I live fairly close to the border and can say that its a real damn issue.

[QUOTE=glitchvid;33697737]Ahaha, no. Its still an issue, I live fairly close to the border and can say that its a real damn issue.[/QUOTE] Just because you see a lot of immigrants, doesn't mean it's a problem.

[QUOTE=glitchvid;33697737]Ahaha, no. Its still an issue, I live fairly close to the border and can say that its a real damn issue.[/QUOTE] does "it's an issue" mean "I sure been seein lotsa brown people around lately"?

[QUOTE=GunFox;33697609]While I like the idea of less troops on the border, I find the president issuing orders to the national guard to be in poor taste. In general I find the federal government issuing orders to the guard, which are the de facto state militias, to be annoying. The guard are to be used in extreme circumstances, such as natural disasters, widespread public disorder, and obviously as a defense force against invasion. For everything else we have law enforcement agencies and the federal military. If you can't make it work with law enforcement and the federal military, and all the restrictions imposed upon them, then perhaps you need to take a good look at what you are doing.[/QUOTE] Technically the Natguard is obligated to serve the President as well. It's no longer a Militia force, but more or less a branch of the Army. Militarizing a border would be both good and bad and given Mexico's war on drugs it would make more sense to have Guard troops along the border to keep gangs from smuggling drugs through the border and among other things. Besides. I need a job.

[QUOTE=Governor Goblin;33697789]Just because you see a lot of immigrants, doesn't mean it's a problem.[/QUOTE] But they took our jobs!

[QUOTE=Risonhighmer;33697631][sp]Just kidding. There's lots of good about the states. Including it's cheap-everything, and my step dad[/sp][/QUOTE] Your step-dad lives in the states!? This changes everything. Prepare the Armoured skiers!