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Even with a limited force -- 1,200 troops -- the National Guard made a discernible difference along the southwestern U.S. border since last summer. So, naturally, the troops will be removed come June.
It was only a temporary assignment, officials say. And besides, where would the money come from to continue the patrols? Per usual, it's all about politics and "priorities."
Never mind illegal immigration and its continuing toll on a U.S. economy still in recovery mode. Now there's the increasing threat of drug-cartel violence seeping deeper into America. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who last summer called for the National Guard deployment, says it's "inexcusable and inexplicable" to withdraw troops now.
Homeland Security estimates that the soldiers, limited as they are, have seized more than 14,000 pounds of drugs and apprehended 7,000 illegal immigrants. If anything, the continuing need for increased border enforcement is demonstrated by the success of this trial run.
And yet border enforcement, a matter of national security, is being addressed not on its merits but in the convoluted course of Capitol Hill's quid pro quo politics.
Congress seriously needs to get its priorities straight.
