Lack of Funds to End Guard’s Drug Duty

Federal and local law enforcement authorities in Los Alamitos Friday applauded the escalated National Guard involvement in drug-enforcement efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border and at other ports of entry, but officials said the program was being phased out this weekend because of lack of money.

The monthlong effort, which involved both armed and unarmed guardsmen working alongside civilian law enforcement officers, contributed to almost 500 drug-related arrests and a number of major drug seizures, including nearly 1,000 pounds of cocaine and more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana, officials said.

“The operation was successful on every measure,” said John E. Hensley, assistant regional commissioner for enforcement for the U.S. Customs Service, at a press conference at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center.

Critics have questioned the wisdom of posting U.S. troops--particularly armed soldiers--along the border area, a concern heightened by the acknowledgement this week that the guardsmen are also reporting the presence of undocumented immigrants along the border.

Some Guardsmen Armed

California is the only state to use armed guardsmen along the border. Unarmed National Guard troops have also been assisting customs inspectors in Texas and Arizona, officials said.

But Hensley and other officials played down the arming of guardsmen and expressed the hope that the National Guard program would be instituted permanently. Its future depends on the availability of federal funding and an evaluation by authorities in Washington.

“As soon as all of the civilian agencies have digested the information obtained as a result of the operation, we will have a better idea whether we need to come back again,” said Maj. Gen. Robert C. Thrasher, who heads the 27,000-member California National Guard.

As many as 400 guardsmen participated in the anti-drug operation. They did not make arrests but instead reported the presence of suspected lawbreakers to civilian officers, who conducted the seizures and apprehensions. Federal law limits the role of guardsmen and other military units in the civilian law enforcement field. The weapons carried by some troops were strictly for self-protection, authorities said.

Congressional Interest

The guardsmen’s presence is the most visible manifestation of longtime efforts in Congress to increase military involvement in the campaign against drug-trafficking. Congress has appropriated about $40 million for National Guard assistance to the drug war, including about $1 million for California. Another $1 million for the Guard came from state funds. But all $2 million will have been spent by this weekend, thus requiring more funding before the program can continue, a spokesman said.

Besides the border duty, unarmed guardsmen were posted last month alongside U.S. Customs Service inspectors at ports of entry in Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego.