Trump is mobilizing the National Guard to the US-Mexico border for literally no good reason
President Trump is signing a proclamation to authorize the use of state National Guard forces to protect the US-Mexico border — where inflows of immigrants are at historic lows.
You read that right.
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Gary Williams/Getty Images
The president has the legal authority to do this, as long as governors of border states acquiesce — and agree to foot the bill. (Given that three of the four governors of southwestern border states are Republicans, their agreement looks likely.) But just because it’s legal doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Wednesday, announcing the mobilization, that “the threat” of drug smuggling and illegal entry “is real.” But it’s not clear precisely what threat the administration is trying to address with a National Guard mobilization, other than the fact that President Trump is freaked out.
Trump can send National Guard troops to the border as long as states pay for it
The president can’t just send the military anywhere he wants in the country. The Posse Comitatus Act places strict restrictions on the use of the military within the US. Specifically, as Steve Vladeck of the University of Texas told Vox’s Alex Ward, it “requires specific congressional authorization before the president can use the military in a domestic law enforcement capacity.”
But the National Guard isn’t covered by the Posse Comitatus Act when it’s acting in “State Active Duty” capacity — that is, when it’s being called up by a governor. And Nielsen, in saying that the administration was planning to work “with our governors,” implied that’s the route they’re taking.
Both of Trump’s predecessors got state governors to mobilize National Guard troops at the border, as Vox’s Tara Golshan has explained. George W. Bush called National Guard troops to the border in May 2006, and Barack Obama mobilized 1,200 National Guard troops for border enforcement in May 2010. (In 2014, Texas Gov. Rick Perry mobilized 1,000 National Guard members to the border to help process unaccompanied children from Central America entering the US.)
National Guard troops aren’t sent to the border to literally fight off immigrants — that’s still illegal. They’re not even sent to the border to catch immigrants; only Border Patrol agents are authorized to do that. So during previous mobilizations, the National Guard has done a mix of surveillance and intelligence work to help Border Patrol agents track down immigrants, and support work to help process those immigrants once they’re apprehended.
Border crossings are at historic lows — and many people coming are seeking asylum
In February 2018, the last month for which statistics are available, Border Patrol agents caught 26,666 immigrants attempting to cross the US-Mexico border.
The month before President Obama mobilized the National Guard, 55,237 immigrants — more than twice as many — had been apprehended. And the month before Bush did it, Border Patrol apprehended 126,538 immigrants. In other words, the threat was six times worse.
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President Donald Trump is calling National Guard troops to the US/Mexico border ...
where immigrants are coming in at historically low rates.
Javier Zarracina for Vox
Because border crossings are seasonal, looking at February versus April isn’t a perfect comparison. But here’s another way to look at it: From December 2017 to February 2018, an average of 27,214 immigrants were apprehended crossing the border. During that same time period in 2009-’10, before Obama’s mobilization, the average was 34,203. And from December 2005 to February 2006, months before Bush called on the National Guard, the monthly average was 92,971.
It might seem backward to measure how secure the border is based on how many people are being caught, but that’s the way Border Patrol has historically done it. It was the basis for Trump’s brag a year ago that he’d set records for border security. Now, apprehensions are a little higher than they were a year ago but still haven’t returned to the levels they were at before the Great Recession — or for decades before that.
Furthermore, many of the people who are coming to the US right now are people who are trying to turn themselves in to Border Patrol as a way to seek legal status in the US. They’re unaccompanied children, or families, from Central America; they might be trying to claim asylum because they fear persecution or torture in their home countries.
National Guard troops can certainly help process those people, helping set them up with asylum officers to screen them and coordinating with other agencies to transfer them into custody while they wait for their cases to be resolved.
But that’s not what the Trump administration says it’s doing. It says it’s mobilizing the National Guard because there’s an imminent threat.
Deploying the National Guard to help guard the border won’t have a huge impact on drug smuggling, which is much more common through ports of entry — airports, seaports, road crossings — than by sneaking across the border. And it won’t prevent people who are trying to cross the US to seek asylum from being able to do so.
The mobilization only makes sense as a very expensive way to send a message: that Donald Trump is still tough on immigration, damn it. That message may, or may not, be heard by the Trump base; conservative leaders like Ann Coulter are urging him to woo them back with a return to his signature issue. But it could very likely be heard by would-be asylum seekers who could be dissuaded from even trying to leave their home countries, even if they face mortal peril by staying where they are.
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by Dara Lind
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Wadda ya mean, there's no point??
Of course he has a reason to do this! Two reasons in fact:
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- Keep the Unthinking Faithful TM afraid of those people ...
- Show what a tough soldier he is! (Except for those foot problems that kept him out of the service, he'd surely be a Great Hero...
These people seem very faithful to that "Unthinking" thought, but that's just what I think, and thinking is overrated, if I beraten it
I'm waiting for him to come up with a full dress "Fear Leader "uniform, complete with a rank of some kind on the lapels or shoulder boards and several rows of ribbons for things he can't explain above the left pocket. Oh and oh course red stripes down the outside of the pants and gold leafs on the bill of the cap.
That would be a fun exercise for us....giving those medals a name
I'm against it for one reason only - believe it or not, it costs a lot of money to simply use the Guard! I remember when Obama did it and it cost millions!
Remember when W did even on a larger scale than Obama?
Another false opinion article, sigh.
There's a difference between the article and you: it gives facts to support its opinion while you give... nothing ...
The reality is that the national guard can't actually do anything. They're not allowed to shoot border crossers and they aren't allowed to arrest anyone.
Smith correctly points out that the only thing the National Guard can do if they actually see a person illegally crossing the border is — wait for it — the same thing *I* can do if I see someone illegally crossing the border. Alert the U.S. Border Patrol. They can provide advice and surveillance, possibly freeing up Border Patrol to do other things, but what is this move truly accomplishing?
You publicly cast doubt on my military service. You were wrong, both ethically and factually. You owe me an equally public apology. Unless and until you give me that apology, you are not welcome on my seeds.
You publicly cast doubt on my military service. You were wrong, both ethically and factually.
Unfortunately there are still several NT users who regularly post false information.
I don't remember-- is outright lying a violation in the new CoC? (I'll have to re-read it).
9mm didn't lie.
He just "wondered out loud". It's a commonly used technique, here on NT, for saying something without saying it explicitly. It's mealy-mouth, but hey!
Lying is a a CoC violation. Look at the options on the flagging tool
Wonder what will happen when all the illegals are deported and all the low-skilled, under-educated trump voters realize they are still in the same economic shit holes as they were before.
That's simple, we'll just eat the rich.😈
Too funny!
Actually it may be worse rather than being the same as it was before-- now that Trump has started a self-defeating trade war with China and they have retaliated-- people in many of those areas will not be in the same predicament they'd been in-- but for most their situation will actually be worse!
China’s targeted tariff retaliation threatens Trump heartland
It's already causing a farm labor shortage in California so vegetables will cost Trump's xenophobic base more too.
Oh - so ONLY Trump supporters eat veggies????? Gads - glad to know that.
The point is it's going to cost ALL of us more to eat a decent veggie if you can't grow your own.
Maybe it's time to start promoting Victory Gardens again
Maybe you missed the news of the 11,000 person mob heading this way.
why don't you give us the link?
Ok. It was 1100, not 11000, but they are still headed this way despite the stories about them being broken up.
How's this John?
50,308 Stopped at Mexican Border Last Month, Up 203% From March '17
"More than fifty thousand people -- 50,308 -- were either apprehended or deemed inadmissible at the Southwest border last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Wednesday. It's the highest monthly total of the Trump presidency.
The 50,308 apprehended/inadmissibles in March is a 37 percent increase from the 36,695 counted in February, but a whopping 203 percent increase from March 2017's 16,588."
I hoped you paid a fare to whatever source you got that from because you were taken for a ride. It is common knowledge that Mexico cracks down on illegals coming into their county UNLESS they are just passing through to the United States.
Well if you're going to post alternative facts (rather than true facts) why limit it to only 11,000?
Heck, why don't you say that there are actually hordes of 11 million headed this way?
(Heck, this is NT-- if you say that there will be at least some folks here that will believe you...so why not give it a shot?
11 million zombies!
Well, looks like Trump is gonna have to put in a request for several tons of Garlic into the next budget!
And will Trump's innane trade war with China increase the cost of Garlic?
Oh wait, I forget-- is Garlic supposed to stop Zombies-- or Vampires???
And is it 11 million Mexican Zombies . . . or Mexican Vampires that are massing vast hordes to cross our border and murder and rape our women? And causing Oklahoma school teachers to strike?
And . . .Benghazi!!!
Curious minds want to know . .
I don't need to post 11 million are headed here because 11 million already are here.
history could have done a much better job at securing our border. with todays tech we can do much better.
I say we find "exactly how low the inflow numbers can actually go and make that the new low water mark for history.
Cheers
Perhaps we could learn from the Saudis (although they have an almost infinite supply of petro dollars-- we can't afford to build an Apartheid Wall like the Saudis have done).
But wait-- $$$ should be no problem--Trump has promised that Mexico will pay for the Wall!
(Pheeew! I feel better already!
Deploying the National Guard to help guard the border won’t have a huge impact on drug smuggling, which is much more common through ports of entry — airports, seaports, road crossings — than by sneaking across the border.
Did the author of the piece inform Arizona of this? Remember almost all of the territory south of I-8 is posted with danger warnings due to the huge amount of drug smuggling in the area.
There's all sorts of BS posted in Arizona...
Sure is.
While the guard is above ground, the bad guys will just use the many tunnels that exist.
They eventually have to come out.
But that’s not what the Trump administration says it’s doing. It says it’s mobilizing the National Guard because there’s an imminent threat.
There is an "Imminent threat"...to Trump's promises. He promised his followers a wall with Mexico paying for it, something he can never deliver on. So he has to Huff and Puff and blow the border Border Security up to sound tough. This is a political stunt and not another damned thing.
They don't even have a mission plan yet. It is a political stunt and can't last long without Congressional funding.
From the AP this morning -
I'm betting when this question gets raised Trump will say those border states will cough up some of the cost.
Legally, there's no doubt. If Trump calls the Guard to active duty, then Posse Comitatus prohibits deployment in the US. If he just asks the states to do the job, then they must pay for it.
Of course, there's always the possibility that Trump will simply break the law.
They can do surveillance and support work for years, but they will still have to get paid. Bush spent $1.8 Billion on his Operation Jump Start with 5k NG troops. I heard a quote on my lunch break on the radio stating the amount of border crossings hasn't been this low since 1971. The issue is that most of the people coming now are women with children or unaccompanied children that get processed and let go while seeking asylum under current immigration law. Trump would have better spent that money making a DACA deal with the provision of expanding the immigration court with more judges and staff. That doesn't get those 'Merica Firsters hard like a big ol' wall or Army guys and all that gear.
But yet Obama sent money to Mexico to secure their southern boarder.
But thats OK...................
Nobody wants to admit that we're sending Mexico $320M a year as foreign aid. Just take the money for the wall from that, right?
According to the bar chart accompanying the article, there were approximately 26,000 apprehensions last month, which is markedly lower than the instances where the previous 2 Presidents summoned the National Guard.
This indicates to me that there is some kind of "acceptable level" of apprehensions, in which need not be addressed any further than they are.
What is the acceptable level?
0.0
Another waste of money. Perhaps to be a bit more cost effective, he might combine this little exercise along with his military parade and kill two birds with one stone.
Gee when Obama sent troops to help secure the Boarder the Whining Liberals had no problem with it.
Now Pres Trump wants to do the same the Whining Hypocrites throw a fit. Gov of Oregon...............
Typical Liberal Double Standard! Hypocrites!
Gee some day maybe they will get over that Hillary LOST Butt Hurt Bern.
Gee when Obama sent troops to help secure the Boarder the Whining Liberals had no problem with it.
Now Pres Trump wants to do the same the Whining Hypocrites throw a fit. Gov of Oregon...............
Typical Liberal Double Standard! Hypocrites!
Gee some day maybe they will get over that Hillary LOST Butt Hurt Bern.
Echo... echo... echo...
Still Applies...........
Hmmm What did Mexico do with all that money Obama gave them to secure THEIR Southern Boarder?
But yet cant get a "dime" out of the Liberals to secure ours.............
Hypocrites!