National Guard ‘an extra pair of eyes’ on border
Members’ main goal is to assist efforts of law enforcement
STARR COUNTY — On a cliff overlooking the Rio Grande, a group of at least six Texas National Guardsmen, toting M4 carbines and binoculars, spotted a raft illegally crossing the river.
The guardsmen contacted law enforcement partners who responded to the scene. Operationally, it was exactly what the troops, deployed to the southern border in response to President Donald Trump’s request to support federal agencies, are there to do.
“We’re like an extra pair of eyes and ears for our local law enforcement partners,” a captain with the Texas National Guard said. “We’re here as a visual deterrence.”
Trump has called for a force of as many as 4,000 troops in four states following a spike in immigrants caught entering the country illegally in March. The president described the troops as a “virtual and personnel wall” who would remain on the border until a physical wall is built.
So far, around 150 troops have arrived on the border since Friday, joining the 100 soldiers and airmen deployed there under a program led by Gov. Greg Abbott called Operation Secure Texas. Abbott has said Texas will send more than 1,000 troops to the border at a clip of about 300 per week.
The guardsmen have set up 24-hour surveillance from operational posts in Starr County, a sparsely populated area in the Rio Grande Valley that the local U.S. Border Patrol has referred to as the most volatile stretch of border with Mexico. There is no border wall in Starr County — yet.
Early Tuesday afternoon, a dozen or so soldiers checked their gear as they prepared to head out to posts along the river in Starr County. The posts are scattered through the area. Each one is staffed with six to 12 soldiers and a Humvee equipped with a long-range optical system.
Texas National Guard members are no strangers to the border region. Former Gov. Rick Perry and Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also deployed guardsmen to the southern border. In 2010, Obama launched Operation Phalanx with 1,200 soldiers, and in 2006 Bush sent 6,000 troops to the border under Operation Jump Start.
The guardsmen keep a low profile while commuting to their posts in Starr County, driving in rented pick-ups. Over the years, the guard have sought to engage with local communities, and yet not everyone is pleased with the most recent deployment.
“Our federal agencies are intentionally misusing information to justify a strategy based in political rhetoric,” said U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen. “I am disappointed to see Defense Secretary James Mattis deploy the National Guard under a false pretense.”
Gonzalez called the deployment of troops a decision rooted in the fiction that the border is overrun with illegal immigration. While the number of immigrants attempting to sneak into the country illegally did increase sharply in March, the rise includes people who arrived openly at international ports to seek asylum, according to Gonzalez.
Though Abbott has the authority to empower troops to make arrests, the guard rarely acts in law enforcement roles, and they aren’t permitted to apprehend immigrants. But they are armed for self-defense if confronted by someone dangerous.
“We want our trips to be safe out here,” the Texas Nation Guard captain said. “That’s why they carry personal side arms.”
National Guard forces under state authority are not covered by the Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids GIs serving under federal authority from making arrests, searches or seizures in the U.S. unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act.
With each deployment, the guardsmen learn valuable lessons that support the mission, said the captain who was not authorized to give his name for security purposes.
“As a Texan, when I’m called up to do my duty I’m a Texan helping Texans,” the captain said. “I’m sure the majority of the troops feel the same way.”