The Obama Administration has announced that it will be sending 1200 National Guard troops to the border.
This recent capitulation by the Obama Administration to the fear and rhetoric of the Right wing of the Republican Party does very little to help ensure Border Security and a lot to validate the meme that violence is "spilling over".
Violence is not increasing on the border, in fact crime is down. Furthermore, the murder of the American rancher in Arizona was probably done by an American.
National Guard troops are not authorized to detain illegal immigrants. They can't stop people, in fact they can't even engage drug cartels without proper identification by local authorities. In other words, National Guard can't do anything but watch and detect.
So why would President Obama send the troops, if they basically can't stop anybody?
Yes watch and detect helps, but that's not what's being sold here.
This only serves as an opportunity for conservative hard-liners like Gov. Jan Brewer to take credit for forcing the Obama administration to amp up security. And for worried Democrats to out-"I'm tough on border security" each other. Without necessarily improving the border.
Yes Mr. Obama, we all want to have border security, but we want real actions not political showmanship.
Congratulations Mr. Obama, you've now started another Arms Race on the Border. Unfortunately, local law enforcement need money so badly that anything would help a this point.