A pair of Texas Congressmen and more than a dozen sheriffs from Texas, Arizona and New Mexico are asking the Defense Department for some of the surplus war equipment from Iraq and Afghanistan for use along their border with Mexico, citing “national security,” The Washington Times reports.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the lawmakers - one a Republican and the other a Democrat - noted that some of the surplus equipment would come in handy to federal, state and local agencies that work the along and near the U.S. border with Mexico, according to the Times. Humvees, weapons, night-vision goggles, communications trailers and observation platforms were among the items cited.

Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican, has already introduced a resolution that would direct the Defense Department to make available 10 percent of certain equipment from Iraq, the paper reported. The equipment would be made available to law enforcement patroling the border.

Poe called border defense "a national security issue," according to the The Washington Times article.

"State and local officials are on the front lines of the southern border fighting to protect Americans from spillover violence from Mexico," the story wrote in quoting Poe.

In January, Cuellar hosted a meeting with a Defense Department official that was attended by representatives of local law enforcement agencies. More than 100 officers were in attendance. The Times article said 17 sheriffs from border areas have joined the two Congressmen in formally asking Panetta for the equipment.



Source: The Washington Times