Mexico

US Military Role on the Border Will Have a Limited Role

U.S. military troops are heading to the border as President Donald Trump said Tuesday afternoon he wants to deploy them to protect the Mexican border while the new border wall is built.

Tuesday evening, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued a statement saying the “vigorous” administration strategy includes mobilization of the National Guard.
The White House statement came after Trump met with Defense Secretary James Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford and chief of staff John Kelly, Sanders said.
“We are going to be doing some things — I’ve been speaking with (Defense Secretary) Mattis — we’re going to be doing things militarily”, Trump said at a White House meeting with the leaders of Baltic countries.
“Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said. “That’s a big step. We really haven’t done that before, or certainly not very much before.”
Mexico’s Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez wants Trump to clarify his comments.
“We have formally requested a clarification on the President’s comments from the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security,” Gutiérrez said in a statement. “We share the idea of having a secure border, but we do not always agree on how to achieve that goal. Mexico, naturally, will always act in accordance with our own interests.”
But while President Trump could order active duty military personnel or federalized National Guard troops to assist with border security operations, they would not be allowed to carry out law enforcement duties like detaining migrants crossing the border illegally.
That’s because the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the U.S. military from conducting law enforcement duties in the United States. The only way that can be allowed is by a special congressional authorization.

In the past active military and National Guardsmen have performed duties at the border under both Presidents Clinton and Bush.

To read the entire article from ABC News, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Trump Wants the Military to Foot the Bill for the Border Wall

The much-ballyhooed border wall that President Trump touted during his presidential campaign was again in the news on Tuesday. The President, in speaking with some of his closest advisers, floated the idea of funding the construction of a wall on the Mexican border through the military’s budget according to sources.

Trump discussed the idea in a private meeting last week with House Speaker Paul Ryan, a source familiar with the conversations said, as he reviewed the omnibus spending bill, which does not include funding for construction of a border wall. It was not immediately clear how serious Trump was about pursuing this option, but the move would likely face steep hurdles with appropriators in Congress.
The idea is Trump’s latest attempt to find a way to build the border wall he promised supporters during his campaign as Mexico has dismissed his call for Mexico to fund its construction. Trump has said he would seek that payment in the form of a refund, either through trade negotiations, remittance payments or other means.
A senior administration official confirmed the President has floated this idea, along with others, as alternative ways to pay for the wall.
“There’s a lot of different options we’re trying to contemplate. Certainly that’s one,” the official said.
Another option: increasing fees that a person has to pay when they cross the border from Mexico into the United States.
“You could always increase them and take the revenue for that for resources,” this official said.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to weigh in when asked repeatedly on Tuesday at the daily press briefing about trying to get the military to fund the wall.
“I can’t get into the specifics of that at this point, but I can tell you that the continuation of building the wall is ongoing, and we’re going to continue moving forward in that process,” Sanders said.

Currently, the administration only has the money in the budget for fixing current fencing and building new fencing.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy: Screen Shot CNN video

Military Parts Dealer Found Guilty of Stealing Army Equipment

John Roberts, of Clarksville, Tennessee, a military equipment dealer was found guilty of conspiracy to steal and sell government property, two counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and 10 counts of wire fraud.

Prosecutors said that he schemed with active duty soldiers at Ft. Campbell, KY to steal sensitive military material to sell to buyers in Russia, China, Mexico. Roberts faces up to five years in prison for conspiracy and up to 20 years for each count of arms export violations and wire fraud.

More than $1 million in weapons parts, body armor, helmets, gun sights and other equipment was stolen and sold in a vast black market, prosecutors said. Six soldiers and another civilian pleaded guilty. One testified that Roberts was given a tour of the base to see items to be stolen. Eventually, they brought equipment back from Afghanistan and sold it by the truckload.
More than $1 million in weapons parts, body armor, helmets, gun sights and other equipment was stolen and sold in a vast black market, prosecutors said.
Roberts, 27, testified that he did not know the soldiers were bringing him stolen equipment. He said the items he bought and sold were commonly found in surplus stores, gun stores and on eBay.

Roberts former business partner, Cory Wilson plead guilty to buying and selling stolen military equipment, wire fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act. He stated that the pair would target soldiers who were young, broke and those who often needed money for drugs. He told prosecutors that they set up multiple accounts to sell the stolen items on eBay and would remove packaging designating the items as military equipment and use faked shipping labels to avoid suspicion by authorities.

To read the entire article from NBC News click here:

Photo courtesy Wikimedia