National Guard troops will begin their border operations this weekend in New Mexico. About 150 will be training in the desert west of Columbus, KVIA is reporting. And some of them will be armed, the El Paso Times reports. The Guard’s spokeswoman says the firearms will be used “if they need to defend themselves.”
Meanwhile, the bodies of two more immigrants were found in the Southern New Mexico desert yesterday, the Times reports. That brings the total number of deaths this year in the El Paso sector, which includes New Mexico, to 31, equaling the number of deaths for all of last year.
The hot months are yet to come.
As the other border states have cracked down on illegal immigration, the desert between Santa Teresa and Antelope Wells in New Mexico has been flooded with immigrants, ranchers and others along the border have told me.
Now we have soldiers with guns watching them. Soldiers who are only supposed to keep watch for illegal crossers, and call Border Patrol agents when they spot them.
The Border Patrol is overwhelmed. There will be times the Guard will have to decide whether to engage the border crossers on their own. With guns. The coyotes might also have guns.
Do you see where this is headed?
Where is Congress?