Officials in the Department of Defense are frustrated over the continued use of National Guard troops to police the U.S. border with Mexico, according to a new government report.

 

There are currently 1,140 Guardsmen patrolling the border. About 30,000 performed the same duty from 2006-2008. Twice this year the Department of Homeland Security has extended the National Guard’s mission to keep illegal immigrants out of the Southwest, and that has military leaders concerned about the long-range strategy, or lack thereof, by the administration over how to secure the border.

 

A report by the Government Accountability Office says defense officials are worried about “mission creep”—meaning, the soldiers may never leave the border if the administration doesn’t come up with a sound plan that doesn’t require the involvement of the military.

 

“…Border security is not a core mission of the National Guard,” notes the report.

 

The longer the Guardsmen help secure the border, the more militarized the region becomes, Pentagon leaders believe, “especially in light of efforts by the State Department and the Department of Justice to help support civilian law enforcement institutions in Mexico to address crime and border issues.”

 

Military officials also worry about the toll that border duty exacts on the National Guard, making fewer troops available for traditional missions, such as helping after natural disasters.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

National Guard's Use on Border Worrisome, Feds Report (by Brady McCombs, Arizona Daily Star)

GAO Report Reveals a Rift over National Guard's Role at Border (by Daniel González and Dan Nowicki, Arizona Republic)

Observations on the Costs and Benefits of an Increased DOD Role in Helping to Secure the Southwest Land Border (U.S. Government Accountability Office) (pdf)