Bobby_Loft

Barack Obama sure knows how to send a message regarding border security. Too bad it’s the wrong message. At a time when Arizonans and other border state residents are more concerned with border security than ever, Obama has not only decided to attack the new Arizona law and challenge it in court, but he has also decided to make a token gesture at security by sending National Guard troops who will mostly sit at desks.

After increasing public pressure to actually do something regarding the southern border, and probably some analysis that his approval rating is falling, Obama decided to sound “tough” on border security by announcing he would send 1,200 troops to the US-Mexico border.

The National Guard troops will work on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking. They will temporarily supplement border patrol agents until Customs and Border Protection can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border, an administration official said.

As noted in a story on FoxNews.com, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) reacted by saying the 1,200 troops will mostly be occupying “desk jobs.”

“They aren’t boots on the ground at the border,” he said, adding that “they were not intended to be deployed to the border.”

“Rather they’ll be investigating, administrative support, maybe training,” he said. “Now that’s all fine…but the real value of the National Guard is to be seen.”

I can just see how this all went. Obama calls Mexican President Calderon and says, “Hey, Felipe… my poll numbers are heading farther south than Mexico. Is it ok if I send a few troops down there?” Calderon replies, “Absolutely, mi amigo… as long as they don’t actually do anything.”

Contrast this “get tough” move with what the Obama administration is doing regarding Arizona’s SB 1070 illegal immigration law. Even though the law reiterates the federal law established in 1940 and which is remarkably similar to California’s illegal immigration law, the Obama administration is set to set to challenge the law in court. FoxNews.com reports that “a team of Justice Department attorneys reviewing the new immigration law in Arizona has recommended that the U.S. government challenge the state law in federal court.”

Staff attorneys within the Justice Department recently sent higher-ups the recommendation. At the same time, the Justice Department’s Civil Division, which oversees the majority of immigration enforcement issues for the department, has drafted a “civil complaint” that would be filed in federal court in Arizona, sources said.

So there you have it. This is Obama’s “comprehensive” plan to secure the borders and crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking: send a token number of troops to the border to look “tough,” but at the same time challenge the Arizona law that actually is tough. Are you following the logic? Neither am I.

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