Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Arizona National Guard Personnel along the Border

Letter

The Honorable Barack Obama
The President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In recent weeks, I have heard talk of your possible willingness to extend the presence of National Guard personnel along the southwestern border. I strongly encourage you to take this step. Securing the southwestern border remains a high priority for Americans. I believe current initiatives are having an impact on reducing illegal activities and associated violence in Arizona. I have always been concerned about the limited duration of the troop commitment you made, but have been heartened to hear of the possibility that the mission may continue instead of ending in June 2011.

In the months since the mission started in October 2010, the Arizona National Guard has been involved in approximately 19,000 observations, 10,000 apprehension assists, and 235 drug seizure assists involving over 18 tons of marijuana. Additionally, the National Guard analysts are assisting in 19 active federal investigations that include money laundering, narcotics, and human smuggling. The support of Arizona National Guard has provided has been very valuable to law enforcement efforts in Arizona. Further, I believe the evidence is clear that the Arizona National Guard has approached the mission with cost effectiveness in mind. I am proud of the work that my Adjutant General (MG Hugo Salazar), his staff and the troops have done to deliver on the mission and to do so at lower than expected cost.

I am concerned that when the current mission ends in June, the gains we have made will be immediately lost. Arizona can ill afford that kind of loss in the effort to secure the border.

I do hope that as part of the consideration of extending the mission, you would not contemplate diverting monies from the Joint Counter Narco-Terrorism Task Force (JCNTF) or any other active border security or counterdrug program. Such a diversion would represent a classic "robbing Peter to pay Paul" scheme. JCNTF resources, combined with the military personnel you authorized in 2010, provide a decent foundation of troops for law enforcement support, criminal intelligence/analysis, surveillance operations, logistics and other critical functions.

Instead of any possible diversion of funds away from JCNTF, I would encourage you to consider my earlier requests to increase the resources for this program. As far back as 2009, I requested an additional 250 Arizona National Guard members be added to bring our JCNTF numbers to approximately 400 soldiers and airmen. I strongly believe that funding additional military personnel for border operations is an essential part of the long-term solution to security and safety, not just for border communities, but also for Arizona, the southwest region and our country as a whole.

I also urge you to reconsider earlier requests I made regarding increased air support to border security, counterdrug, human smuggling and illegal immigration operations. Arizona has four OH-58 Kiowa helicopters that conduct JCNTF missions. Adding four to six scout aircraft (OH-58 or LUH-72), with required crews and additional maintenance personnel, would enable us to double the flight hours to 2000 per year. Such an increase would significantly increase the number of smuggling operations and apprehensions.

Finally, I am asking you to make a serious commitment to a substantial border fence - one that is difficult to overcome and well-maintained. As Americans all over this country know, the presence of a fence does not preclude friendships with neighbors. Applying this to our international border, I thoroughly believe that we can have a legitimate and strong border force and also enjoy a solid and fruitful relationship with Mexico. I urge you to take a focused look at the current fence line in its entirety and whether it is an effective deterrent and obstacle to illegal activities. I believe you will conclude that significant stretches meet no such standard.

In summary, I respectfully request you extend the current Southwest Border Security National Guard mission past June 2011. Further, I urge you to avoid decreasing funding to existing JCNTF or similar programs as a means of funding the ongoing mission. Just the opposite, I am asking you to approve more JCNTF support. I am also asking again for you to commit additional military air assets to Arizona. Finally, please ensure that a substantial border fence is completed and maintained - large stretches of what is called a fence along our country's border with Mexico are neither secure nor adequate.

In short, I am asking you to commit additional resources to ensure an enduring secure border. These resources would improve our capabilities to sustain recent gains, enhance future operational success, thwart illegal activities and ultimately make a lasting difference in the security of this region and our Nation. In making these requests, however, I do not want to mislead you or anyone else. I remain supportive of a much larger federal commitment to the border, similar to the plan envisioned by Senators Kyl and McCain. I would hope you and Congress could come to an accord over a major plan such as what our two U.S. Senators proposed. In the meantime, I feel compelled to make at least a minimum request for Arizona with the hope of broader and deeper solution can be subsequently enacted.

I want to thank you and your Administration for taking steps to address border security. While we likely have different perspectives on the security of the border, and probably do not agree on the optimal number of troops and the most effective mission set for these personnel, I want to acknowledge the forward progress made by you and your Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. I urge you to build on what you have done to move toward the goal of a secure border.

Sincerely,

Janice K. Brewer
Governor

Source