Legal Commentary

U.S. Military May Send Troops to Fight Drug War in Mexico

By Jeralyn

We knew this was coming but it's still jarring to see and the dead wrong approach to combating Mexico's drug problems.

The Pentagon and Homeland Security Department are developing contingency plans to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border under a $350 million initiative that would expand the U.S. military's role in the war on drugs, according to Obama administration officials.

...The initiative, which was tucked into a supplemental budget request sent to Congress this month, has raised concerns over what some U.S. officials perceive as an effort by the Pentagon to increase its counter-narcotics profile through a large pot of money that comes with few visible requirements.

The White House began briefing House and Senate Committees on the plan this week. I complained last month about the $350 million in the budget for the military's use in the war on drugs here, suggesting the U.S. War on Drugs abroad is getting its own stimulus package. [More...]

From the WAPO article above, here's one problem with it:

Joy Olson, executive director of the Washington Office on Latin America, which promotes democracy and human rights in the region, said the request lacks the accountability provisions...."They may say that this is for the National Guard, but the way it's written it is really a blank check for the Defense Department to do whatever it wants on counter-drug issues at the border -- and it doesn't say which side of the border," Olson said.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 24, 2009 (boomark / email).