In accordance with the mandates of Operation Jump Start, the memorandum of agreement reached between Department of Defense (DoD) officials and the governors of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the initial contingent of nearly 2,500 US National Guard troops were dispersed along the United States – Mexico border during June 2006. Currently, the maximum planned allotment of 6,000 National Guard troops have deployed along the southern border, all of which have been dispatched to assist US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents with non-law enforcement activities while CBP works to swell its ranks to more than 18,000 agents.
The Guard troops, though armed, are only authorized to assist CBP in support-type roles, i.e. fence construction, border surveillance, and other supplementary missions. The move allows CBP agents to concentrate more of its forces on the acquisition and apprehension of illegal aliens attempting to gain entry into the US.
Despite the inability to act in a law enforcement capacity, the highly visible National Guard presence appears to have created a remarkable deterrent effect on illegal aliens and drug runners seeking entry into the US via this southern causeway. According to recent figures (source), the Yuma sector in Arizona, which historically has been one of the busiest transit sectors, witnessed a 62 percent drop in detentions and a 36 percent drop in marijuana seizures over the last four months in comparison to the same time period in 2006. The US – Mexico border as a whole observed a 27 percent drop in illegal-entrant apprehensions and a 51 percent increase in drug seizures. As the report suggests, should these figures hold over the course of an entire year, the operation will be viewed as a success and should, therefore, pave the way for comprehensive immigration reform measures being championed by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and others.
Other Measures of Progress
In addition to statistical figures, perhaps equally telling of the success Operation Jump Start has had in stemming the tide of undocumented crossings is the animosity and hostility smugglers have recently directed towards the National Guard troops manning the numerous surveillance posts positioned along the 2,000-mile border.
• Bounties: Intelligence officials informed the media that they are not to personally identify either CBP agents or National Guard troops stationed along the border as smugglers are known to have affixed bounties approaching $50,000 on the heads of border officials should their identities become public knowledge.
• Violent Assaults: Though attempted crossings have declined, the frequency of violent attacks against troops and border patrol agents along the border has increased. The Yuma sector alone has seen a 28 percent increase in this type of assault.
Both the placement of substantial bounties and the increase in violent assaults suggest that Operation Jump Start has already achieved some level of success. By design the operation will hamper the lucrative opportunities coveted by smugglers. Consequently, smugglers have begun resorting to violent attacks in an effort to simultaneously express their discontent and ultimately save their pocketbooks from collapsing in this restrictive environment.
Future Implications
Operation Jump Start was created as a temporary measure only, with National Guard troops dispatched in support roles while the burgeoning ranks of the CBP receive training in preparation for duty. Due to this unique set of circumstances, two questions arise. First, how will the entry detection positions be fulfilled? Motion detectors and/or infrared surveillance equipment could perform the task, but will they be able to provide the same deterrent effect that the National Guard troops are currently providing? Though it remains unknown, the answer is highly unlikely. Second, will the success be sustainable to the extent that reformed immigration policies may be enacted? Or will smugglers develop methods that circumvent these current measures and sabotage the ability to move towards immigration reform? Again, at best one may only venture an educated guess at this juncture, but by offering steep bounties on the heads of border patrol officers and therefore focusing the brunt of their concentration on established ground routes, illegal smugglers may have implicitly shown US officials that the ground route is the only route they wish to, or are able to, exploit at this juncture. In other words, the current successes of Operation Jump Start should be viewed as nothing less than encouraging. However, US officials must not lose sight that illegal border crossers are fueled by incredibly powerful motivations. In order to continue to contest and restrict the influx of illegal entrants, CBP officials must allot an equally high level of prioritization towards the detection and removal of any new methods of entry.
