The Big Question: Troops on the Mexican border a good call?

Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, said:

It’s going to take more than 1,200 troops to seal the US-Mexican border, so that is apparently not what the president is trying to accomplish. So, I’m not clear on what the point is: Or, to be more accurate, this is clearly pure politics. Which is the only way it makes sense: as an effort to appease anti-immigrant sentiment and make it appear as if he’s doing something without really doing anything of significance. He can point to this act and say “See? I am concerned.” But if he were really convinced that this is the answer, he would take all our troops out of, say, Korea, where they are sitting ducks awaiting the start of the Second Korean War, and put them all along the US-Mexican border.

Hal Lewis, professor of Physics at UC Santa Barbara, said:
   
The action is meaningless unless the rules of engagement are clear. As I understand it these troops will do clerical work, not make arrests or have any policing powers. I don’t even know if they will be armed. When I last “patrolled” the border, many years ago, the problem was not detecting the illegals (there were millions of them) but what you did with them when they were caught. It is easy to associate with the lines from Shakespeare’s Henry IV:

GLENDOWER: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
HOTSPUR: Why, so can I, or so can any man, But will they come when you do call for them?

Sending troops is nothing. It is what they are told to do that matters.

Dick Morris, Pundits Blog Contributor, said:

While sending troops to the border is worthwhile, it is, ultimately, as futile as trying to dry up the supply of illegal drugs in the US.  The only answer to either problem is to dry up the demand inside our nation.  That means employer sanctions — felony sanctions — against hiring illegal immigrants, a guest worker program to meet our economic needs, and a national ID card to make verification foolproof and simple

Damon N. Spiegel, entrepreneur and writer, said:

I personally think this is an act of politics and nothing more.  1,200 National Guard troops to cover the borders of California, Arizona and Texas is not enough and certainly no meaningful preventive action will come from it.  It will later be used for reelection purposes only.  A picture of Obama with pictures of our National Guard in the background and a statement “Obama is tough on illegals”.  The reality is 1200 troops is enough to give the appearance of doing something, not enough to upset the Latino population and gives him more time to figure out a more sustainable solution.

Michelle D. Bernard, president and CEO of the Independent Women’s Forum, said:

President Obama is trying to show that he is serious about enforcing the border.  Sending 1,200 national guardsman sends a message—and a much needed one—that this Administration isn’t just in the business of criticizing state efforts to control the borders and deter illegal immigration.  If the Administration doesn’t like Arizona’s new immigration law, then they need to step up federal enforcement of the border instead of just leaving states to deal with the fall out of the federal failure. 

It remains to be seen how effective these national guardsmen will be in actually preventing illegal entry into the country.  Clearly, this is at best a short-term solution to a long-term problem.  The good news is that this move suggests that the Administration understands the critical importance of securing the border.  Our lax border policy is a national security weakness as well as a drain on public resources.  Yet just as importantly, Americans currently don’t trust government to control the borders and therefore oppose efforts to provide a pathway to citizenship for those who are already illegally in this country.  Border security has to come before comprehensive immigration reform.  And perhaps this action is a necessary prelude to real action.  Maybe the Administration and Congress will act before the mid-term elections in November.  It’s highly unlikely, but one can hope anyway.