Pubdate: Sat, 19 Jan 2002
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2002 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspaper
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198
Author: James Pinkerton

ANTI-DRUG BORDER SOLDIERS PULLED IN BUDGET SHORTFALL

HARLINGEN -- Texas National Guard officials Friday said a budget shortfall 
is forcing them to recall 30 soldiers from anti-drug duties along the 
Mexican border.

Sixty-five guards remain on the border, but 35 of them will be pulled if 
more funds are not found by March 1, said Texas Guard spokesman Lt. Col. 
Robert Luna.

Nationwide, National Guard units will eliminate an estimated 1,000 
positions because of a $40 million budget shortfall. The Guard had hoped 
the federal government would appropriate more money for them, but the funds 
were not included in the appropriations bill President Bush signed last week.

The Texas National Guard began pulling back its troops on Sunday.

National Guardsmen and pilots began helping along the border in 1989. They 
gather intelligence through ground and aerial surveillance, analyze it and 
help U.S. Customs officers inspect cargo shipments at border crossings.

Luna is hoping money will be found to preserve the drug interdiction program.

"We are optimistic that the funding to support the port of entry issue will 
occur soon," he said.

The pullback comes as Gov. Rick Perry is asking for more guardsmen to be 
assigned to the border. Perry believes the guardsmen help border crossings 
run more smoothly, which benefits the border economy, spokesman Gene Acuna 
said.

"Gov. Perry has continued to press the defense department and federal 
government to send additional troops to the border, and we are optimistic 
this will occur," said Acuna. "We wrote a letter to Defense Secretary 
Rumsfeld in November and continue to press that point every opportunity we 
get."

In Florida, National Guard spokesman Maj. Ron Tittle confirmed that the 
$2.5 million reduction in Florida's counter-drug operation will require 70 
guardsmen to be deactivated by the end of the month.

"It's hard to speculate what the reason is," Tittle said of the 
congressional action. "I know there's an effort to get the necessary 
funding for homeland security, but I think this program assists in homeland 
security."

The 70 deactivated guardsmen represent a 45 percent reduction in personnel 
assigned to the anti-drug operation, Tittle said. The majority of the 
guardsmen worked in cargo inspection and intelligence analysis in South 
Florida, he said.

"We will continue on with our program, our aerial and ground reconnaissance 
and the assisting local agencies. We will just have to work it smarter," 
Tittle said.

Officials with the California National Guard said their funding has been 
delayed but would not result in the loss of any of the 400 soldiers working 
on various drug interdiction efforts.

"I heard they were cutting 1,000 positions nationwide, but so far it 
doesn't look like California is going to get any cuts," said Col. Charles 
Knight, a spokesman for the Guard. "In fact, we're expecting to have an 
increase in troops on the border."

U.S. Customs spokesman Roger Maier said Texas guardsmen participate in a 
program called Operation Guardian.

"Over that time, the Guard has been a great force multiplier for Customs," 
said Maier, who is based in El Paso.

The military personnel do not interview the public, but conduct secondary 
inspections of vehicles with X-ray and other devices.

"That frees up our people to get back on the line, do more inspections and 
keep the traffic going," Maier said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens