A new role for the undermanned Border Patrol
National Guard troops deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President Bush’s plan to free U.S. Border Patrol agents have been assigned bodyguards — some of the same agents the soldiers were sent to relieve. Several veteran Border Patrol agents in Arizona told The Washington Times they were issued standing orders to be within five minutes of National Guard troops along the border and that Border Patrol units were pulled from other regions to protect the Guard units — leaving their own areas short-handed. Full Story