Foreign gov't warns 1,200 soldiers must not enforce immigration laws The Mexican government has announced it respects the Obama administration's decision to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S. southern border to counter cross-border drug and weapons trafficking – just as long as the troops don't enforce U.S. immigration laws.
The Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., released the following statement on May 25:
Regarding the administration's decision to send 1,200 National Guard servicemen to the U.S. Southern border, the government of Mexico trusts that this decision will help to channel additional U.S. resources to enhance efforts to prevent the illegal flows of weapons and bulk cash into Mexico, which provide organized crime with its firepower and its ability to corrupt.
Additionally, the government of Mexico expects that National Guard personnel will strengthen U.S. operations in the fight against transnational organized crime that operates on both sides of our common border and that it will not, in accordance to its legal obligations, conduct activities directly linked to the enforcement of immigration laws [emphasis added].
Upon learning of the statement, former Rep. Tom Tancredo told WND, "The Mexican government can be assured that there will be no attempt to enforce immigration law by the National Guard because there is no attempt to enforce immigration law by the president of the United States."
Tancredo said he is certain the statement was released after the Mexican government communicated its expectations with the White House.
"I guarantee you that before Barack Obama decided to send the troops, he called the president of Mexico to let him know," Tancredo said. "Things like this don't happen without that kind of communication. This is proof of that. What they're doing here is reaffirming what the president told them."
Tancredo said 1,200 troops for a 2,000 mile border is an inadequate number because there have been requests for up to 8,000, with 6,000 in the Arizona area alone.
"Remember, 1,200 means 400 in three shifts," he said. "If you do not have three shifts, what does it matter? You have 1,200 out there for eight hours a day and then you pull them back? It's ludicrous!"
Arizona border residents told Fox News today that Obama's wavering immigration policy is only making things worse.
"Every time our president talks to the Mexican president, or every time the word amnesty comes over the Mexican news, there is a flood of people," said one unnamed resident who feared retaliation.
The residents said troops won't deter illegal aliens and drug smugglers.
"There's guys out here with no guns, and they're our troops," she said. "The Mexicans think we're nuts."
As WND recently reported, thousands of illegal aliens apprehended along the 2,000 mile border stretching through California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas aren't even from Mexico. Many are citizens of countries that are known sponsors of terrorism, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Syria and Iran.
Tancredo said he doesn't believe the U.S. government's decision to send troops is intended to improve the situation.
"I don't think anybody thinks this matters," he said. "Obama certainly doesn't. That's why he's doing it."
He added, "The desire is not to fix the problem. The desire is to have amnesty. All of this is in anticipation of amnesty."
