El Paso City Council: Don't militarize the border

President Bush didn't necessarily consult with border communities before announcing new plans to restrict immigration, but if he had he might have rethought his approach. The El Paso City Council passed a resolution (pdf) yesterday opposing President Bush's plan to "militarize the border" with up to 10,000 national guard troops. Citing the case of killed goatherd Esequiel Hernandez, the city council said President Bush's proposal "threatens the safety and well being of the residents of our border communities." (See "City Council opposes militarizing border," El Paso Times, May 24)

In the same pdf file, find letters from Congressmen Sylvestre Reyes and Solomon Ortiz to the President and the Pentagon raising concerns about the President's authority to deploy troops in this way within US borders and the terms of engagement.

Thanks to Will for the heads up.