The Tennessee National Guard is going to send 500 National Guard troops to help control the Arizona border with Mexico. The announcement by Governor Phil Bredesen yesterday, dramatically increases the number of troops he said the state could spare for the job.
Originally, he said Tennessee would offer 100 National Guardsmen for the border patrol. Those 100 will be on standby for a request from Arizona. The additional 500 troops are logistical and law enforcement soldiers that will be deploying immediately.
20 logistics and operations guardsmen are leaving today, and 60 more will be leaving tomorrow. Deployments will run about 17 to 21 days.
Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Patty Jones says the soldiers won’t be arresting any illegal immigrants.
“Our soldiers will provide surveillance. Basically they will on the ground, watching the border, providing surveillance. If they see anybody cross the border, in any site that is unauthorized, which is basically your entry points are the only authorized points, they will see that individual come across the border, they will call the US border customs agents.”
Governor Phil Bredesen says the deployment is a stop-gap measure until the federal government crafts a policy to curb the number of immigrants crossing the border.
“I do ultimately believe that in fairness to Tennessee’s taxpayers, that we ought to be keeping the federal government’s feet to the fire to ultimately step up and solve this particular problem. It’s not ultimately a state issue.”
While this deployment runs through September, the Tennessee Guard estimates the mission could last into 2008.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM