California National Guard won't carry guns or make arrests on southwestern border

The 51 California National Guard members who have been deployed to the El Centro Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border will neither be armed, nor make arrests. Rather, they will work behind the scenes in "mission support roles," using cameras, conducting intelligence analyses and helping with road infrastructure, according to officials with the U.S. Border Patrol.

During a press conference Monday morning, sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez provided a few more details about the guardsmen's roles along the border. The camouflage-clad troops stood behind Chavez, but the Guard did not provide a spokesperson for the event.

In April, President Donald Trump called on governors of southwestern states to send National Guardsmen to the border with Mexico to help the Border Patrol stop illegal crossings and drug trafficking. Gov. Jerry Brown decided to comply with the order but made clear that state troops would not enforce immigration laws or help build a new border wall.

Chavez called the National Guard's help "critical," explaining there has been "increased activity with regards to alien smuggling events" in the El Centro sector. At the same time, the sector is short about 200 agents, according to David Kim, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent. This means agents sometimes perform support roles, he said.

"Their job is going to be behind the scenes, providing us with the critical support that today Border Patrol agents do," Chavez said. "Where I need my Border Patrol agents is on the front line, doing the patrols and doing the interdiction of anything that crosses the border."

Staffing in the El Centro sector peaked in fiscal year 2009, at 1,187 agents, and has been decreasing since, according to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In fiscal year 2017, it had 870 agents.

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As part of Operation Guardian Support, the joint effort will focus on targeting transnational criminal organizations, gangs and the transportation of illegal weapons and drugs in the 71-mile-long El Centro sector, Chavez said.

She expects a total of 73 guardsmen to support the Border Patrol until at least the end of the federal fiscal year, which runs through September 30. They will be providing logistical and administrative support, operating detection systems, providing mobile communications and clearing vegetation from roads, among other tasks, she said.

But they won't provide law enforcement. Border Patrol officials are telling the guardsmen that if they see any illegal activity at the border, they should report it to the Border Patrol just as any citizen would, said Kim, the sector's assistant chief patrol agent.

"It will always be a Border Patrol agent making an arrest," he said. "There's no direct contact with the National Guard and anybody that may be committing a crime."

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger previously deployed the National Guard to the border in 2006 and 2010.

Rebecca Plevin covers immigration and equality for The Desert Sun. Contact her at rebecca.plevin@desertsun.com or @rebeccaplevin on Twitter.