Military’s mission doesn’t include enforcement, so smugglers cross Rio Grande right in front of them

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Does the United States military exist only to defend the borders of foreign countries in the Middle East or is it allowed to defend the borders of the U.S. against terrorist cartels, espionage, infiltrations, and smuggling?

It might sound like an uncanny question given that our military was likely created exclusively to defend our own borders, but, according to one Homeland Security official I spoke to, the White House is still convinced that our own military cannot be used for what one would think of as the quintessential purpose of its existence.

“Despite the fact that a more aggressive and armed military posture at the border is purely repelling incursions from the cartels and has nothing to do with Posse Comitatus limitations on enforcing interior domestic law, the administration lawyers refuse to view it that way,” said a DHS attorney who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Indeed, despite the president’s promise to send “ARMED” soldiers to the border following the incident where two active duty soldiers were briefly disarmed and detained by Mexican military (or cartel operatives) on April 13, nothing has changed for the roughly 2,800 active duty personnel at the border.

“Active duty soldiers along the border currently operate CBP-provided Mobile Surveillance Camera (MSC) vehicles at known migrant crossings along the southwest border,” said NORTHCOM spokesman Capt. Jason Elmore in a statement to CR. “Active duty service members do not serve in a law enforcement capacity, they only alert Border Patrol personnel to any suspicious activity discovered while operating the mobile surveillance cameras.”

That is clearly the guidance the political leaders in Washington are issuing because they continue to treat cartel smuggling of dangerous criminal aliens and gangs – and even espionage and human intel gathering operations against our border – as a domestic law enforcement issue rather than a national defense issue.

Cartels invade while the military plays humanitarian role

One Border Patrol agent in the hard-hit Rio Grande Valley, who himself has an extensive military background, told CR that while his colleagues appreciate the Defense Department’s help, they really need the military to actually hold the line against the cartels. “We are outmanned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered, and the cartels have better technology than we do,” said the agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he lacks an outlet to convey the perspective of line agents.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

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