Border troops
Decision to end military patrols is justified

08/01/97

The news that the Pentagon has suspended border surveillance missions by
military units from Texas to California should come as a surprise to no
one. The decision was reported in the Wall Street Journal just one day
before a grand jury convened in Marfa to begin weighing whether to
indict a Marine corporal for the shooting death of 18yearold Ezequiel
Hernandez during a surveillance patrol near Redford, Texas.

That tragic incident, along with the previous shooting of a Mexican
border bandit by a Special Forces sergeant in January, raised questions
about armed U.S. troops assisting the Border Patrol on surveillance
missions. It is increasingly clear that challenging the smuggling of
drugs and undocumented newcomers should properly be the mission of the
Border Patrol alone.

But a caveat is in order. If, for whatever reason, the federal
immigration service and the Border Patrol fail to achieve their mission,
declaring surrender is not an option. Whether the Pentagon likes it or
not, the military may find itself ordered back to the border
especially in the aftermath of a recent House vote to deploy up to
10,000 troops in the region.

The military is balking for good reason. Ever since the shooting of Mr.
Hernandez, U.S. troops participating in border surveillance operations
have come to fear the possibility of being hung out to dry for doing
their job. The assertion by a military officer in El Paso Monday that
the Border Patrol took too long to respond to the shooting and was
responsible for Mr. Hernandez bleeding to death indicates just how
sensitive the military is becoming over the issue.

But everyone should now focus on what actually happened in Redford the
day of Mr. Hernandez's death. That process will be further served when
the grand jury in Marfa reconvenes in two weeks. It also will be an
opportunity to prove or disprove recent allegations that Mr. Hernandez
had shot at Border Patrol agents in February and had been warned not to
do so. At the end of the day, ascertaining the absolute truth must
continue to be the goal.