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US building up mission to counter terrorism in south
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| 30 May 2006 |
By Caitlin Harrington JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC
The US Department of Defense is quietly building a small active-duty military presence on US borders to carry out counterterrorism missions under the authority of a federal military task force, a senior Pentagon official told Jane's on 23 May.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale said a small number of troops operating under Title 10 status - meaning the troops are federalised - will be deployed along the southern border to support civilian authorities in counterterrorism missions. The troops will operate under the command of Joint Task Force North (JTF North) in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Troops deployed under JTF North would supplement thousands of National Guard troops soon to arrive at the southern border. US President George W Bush recently announced an imminent plan to deploy thousands of National Guard troops for two years to control illegal immigration.
President Bush has said the deployment of National Guard forces does not signal an attempt to "militarise" the US border. McHale echoed the sentiment, repeating the administration's policy that neither the National Guard nor the troops deployed under JTF North would be able to engage in law-enforcement activities such as the apprehension, custodial care, questioning or detention of illegal aliens.
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