The Texas Border with Mexico is only 1200 miles long

Texas Governor Rick Perry’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Lone Star State’s border with Mexico has been attacked by the Mexican Foreign Ministry. [Mexico protests Texas National Guard troops on US border, AFP, August 16, 2014]. Yawn. If you put a Cub Scout on the border with a slingshot, the Mexican government would be crying militarization. Unfortunately the Mexican government doesn’t have much to worry about—but there’s a way Perry could change that.

It’s not that I lack confidence in the Texas National Guard, of which I myself am a veteran. It could do the job—if it were given a clear mission and political backup.

My lack of confidence: in Governor Rick Perry, and that’s a general assessment here at VDARE.COM. Rick Perry is a big talker, but in the past he’s done more than his share of encouraging illegal immigration.

I’d be delighted to be proven wrong though—so here’s some helpful advice on how Perry could seal the 1200-mile border with Mexico.

Drastic? Maybe, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Obviously, the federal government is not going to seal the border—but Texas could.

From time to time, efforts have been made. There was Perry’s Operation Linebacker, back in 2005, which was “to increase law enforcement presence along the Texas-Mexico border, particularly between legal points of entry” But look what happened to it:

Initially, Operation Linebacker was beset with controversy because some sheriffs used the grant funds to set up checkpoints that civil rights groups alleged were being used to round up undocumented immigrants. [AW: As if that’s a bad thing!] Advocates said the checkpoints created fear in immigrant communities where some families were afraid to leave their homes even to take their children to school. [AW: Yeah, right!] An El Paso Times review of reports from sheriffs departments that participated in Operation Linebacker showed that the effort resulted in immigrant apprehensions seven times more often than it resulted in criminal arrests.

[Tribpedia: Operation Border Star]

In 2007, there was “Operation Border Star”, and in in 2009, the “Ranger Recon” teams, a joint project of the Texas National Guard and the Texas Rangers. Etcetera.

All the units being deployed in these cool-sounding operations are competent. But the problem is there is no overall strategy to secure the border of Texas. Perhaps Texas always assumed that it was a federal responsibility. It is, but the feds are actually working to keep the border unsecured.

What I’m suggesting now: a Texas project to secure the border of Texas, initially using only units answerable to the governor of Texas. Later on, the project could involve units loaned by other states whose governors also want to secure the border.

The government of Texas needs to form a state border security unit, under one command, composed of units on loan from various military forces and law enforcement agencies, to be rotated in and out on border duty.

The goal: to secure and seal the 1200-mile border between Texas and Mexico by any means necessary. And if Obama, Eric Holder and Jeh Johnson don’t like that—tough luck!

There are a number of units available in Texas. Let’s start with the National Guard, since it’s been in the news.

The Texas Army National Guard has about 19,000 troops, drilling in 117 armories across the state. Over the years, the Texas Army National Guard has been involved in all sorts of deployments, joint training programs and rescue operations. For example, after the 9/11 attack, many guardsmen were deployed to various U.S. bases to provide extra security. Thousands of Texas guardsmen have been deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sinai Desert and Kosovo, and have participated in various disaster relief efforts. So the Guard has lots of experience.

When I was in the Texas Army National Guard (for a decade and a half—including a ten-month deployment to Iraq in 2005, see Iraq Effort Proves We Can Seal The Border—If We Want), morale was high and guardsmen were motivated. I’d guess it’s still that way.

Besides the Army Guard, there’s the Texas Air National Guard, in which both George W. Bush and Ron Paul served. It has served in various locations in the Middle East and in disaster relief, including Hurricane Katrina.

And there’s the Texas State Guard, whose mission is

“.. to provide mission-ready military forces to assist state and local authorities in times of state emergencies; to conduct homeland security and community service activities under the umbrella of Defense Support to Civil Authorities; and to augment the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Air National Guard as required.”

Sounds like protecting the border would be right up its alley!

Among law enforcement agencies, there are the famed Texas Rangers, the Texas Highway Patrol, the county sheriffs’ departments and municipal police forces in the border areas.

And, as VDARE.com’s Federale recently reported, Texas actually has game wardens patrolling the Rio Grande, so that’s another source of manpower.

The manpower is there. The equipment is there. What’s needed is the will, and the organization of the mission.

The goal here would be to seal the border—to prevent border crossings. This would have to be carefully planned and coordinated. A clear legal justification would need to be articulated, and clear rules of engagement would need to be set forth.

The Seal the Texas Border Operation would include the construction of serious Israeli-style fencing. In areas where the terrain makes fence construction difficult, personnel would have to maintain a constant presence. The operation would utilize manpower and technology to keep the entire border under surveillance and covered by patrols and rapid response units.

Too expensive? Well, can we afford not to seal the border?

Besides, money is being spent on all these forces and agencies all the time. They may as well spend the money on the border.

Many would-be-crossers would be deterred. But a detention plan would also be needed—simply turning any detainees over to ICE is no longer effective. Maybe Texas could institute its own deportation system!

Opposition can be expected. The outcry from the Mainstream Media and the Obama/Holder/Johnson Regime is sure to come, and legal action would probably be launched. Look what they did to Sheriff Arpaio in Arizona.

But Governor Perry could make a nationally-televised speech, explaining that he is doing this because the federal government has failed to perform its constitutional duty by protecting Texas and other states from invasion. He could appeal, not just to Texans, but to patriotic Americans all over the country. “We’re doing this for all of you”, the governor must tell Americans.

I must admit, I have a hard time imagining Perry doing that. But he could prove me wrong.

And Perry could and and should get help from other states—starting with my home state of Oklahoma, just north of Texas. A threat to Texas is a threat to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has complained about illegal aliens being dumped at Ft. Sill in the southwest part of the state. [Opposition surrounding undocumented children coming to Ft. Sill, KSWO-TV Lawton, June 9, 2014]

So she could send Oklahoma National Guardsmen to rotate in and out of deployments on the Texas border. (As a former Oklahoma guardsmen I’d like to see that).

Other states could also help, loaning military and law enforcement units. This would give guardsmen and policemen from various parts of the country firsthand experience on the border.

I think such a project would grow and more and more states would jump at the chance to participate.

By this point, the Texas Seal the Border operation would have become a national act of resistance. And if the state governors involved would defend it, I believe the American people would support them.

Such a project could turn things around. It would polarize politicians, who would have to either support it or attack it. Voters would demand they support it.

Drastic? Maybe. But drastic times call for drastic measures.

All that’s needed is the leadership.

American citizen Allan Wall (email him) moved back to the U.S.A. in 2008 after many years residing in Mexico. Allan's wife is Mexican, and their two sons are bilingual.  In 2005, Allan served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Texas Army National Guard. His VDARE.COM articles are archived here; his Mexidata.info articles are archived here ; his News With Views columns are archived here; and his website is here.