CNN Lou Dobbs - video:Troops on the Border May be Deterring Illegal ImmigrationThe use of National Guard troops to patrol the border with Mexico may be paying off. Since National Guard troops arrived at the border in a support role in June, southwest border apprehensions have plunged 34 percent, compared to the same five-month period last year. Although Guard troops aren't permitted to make arrests, illegal aliens perceive them to be more of a threat than the Border Patrol, according to a Homeland Security Department report. Still, some border security activists remain skeptical. Michael Cutler of the Center for Immigration Studies said: "Right now the National Guard on the border is nothing more than a Band-Aid, and it's a very flimsy one at that. I think it's more a matter of window dressing, and I don't think it's deterring as many illegal aliens as the president would like us to believe." But other signs indicate crossing is more difficult, including a 50 percent increase in fees charged by smugglers and complaints from farmers and others that they're struggling to find workers.
The Washington Post:

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And they thought patrick j buchanan was nuts. Right from the start he was!!!