DATE=04-04-02

TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT

NUMBER=5-51376

TITLE=U-S NATIONAL GUARD-CANADA

BYLINE=CRAIG McCULLOCH

DATELIN=VANCOUVER,CANADA

CONTENT=

INTRO: The U-S National Guard is now working along America's borders as part of the war on terrorism. While a heavy security presence has long been the norm with the southern border with Mexico, it is something new for the northern border with Canada. Craig McCulloch reports from the western-most point of the U-S - Canadian border near Vancouver, Canada.

TEXT: The presence of the National Guard along the five-thousand-500 kilometers Canada-U-S border is the latest in President Bush's effort to fight against terrorism. The President has activated about 700 members of the Guard for border duty. They are all reservists with regular non-military jobs.

Now into a six-month assignment, they have been sent to assist officers with the U.S. Customs, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and Border Patrol.

Since the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon headquarters near Washington D.C., increased security measures have pressured the already thin resources of government agencies along the boundary. The use of the National Guard is to ease the workload and make sure the one-billion dollars of trade that crosses the border every day between the United States and Canada does not come to a grinding halt.

Pat Boettcher is in charge of the INS at the Peach Arch border crossing between Vancouver and Blaine, in Washington State.

She has been assigned five soldiers. She says that the unarmed guardsmen will be assisting regular officers not replacing them.

/// Boettcher act #1 ///

"They're here to assist us primarily in administrative functions. These are functions at ports of entry. I'm actually at the Peach Arch, it is a medium size port of entry, I have very limited support staff. So, in other words, the myriad of reports and payroll procedures and personnel actions, all of those things are handled by officers. But now, I can rely on the National Guard to

assist with a lot of that paper work which will allows the officers to spend more time in actualinspections and doing the things that they're more trained, better trained to do with regards to our border security."

/// End act ///

Ms. Boettcher says that last year over 100 fugitives were apprehended and over 300 criminal aliens were denied entry at her border crossing. At the same time,over two million cars went through her station alone.

The workload increased a further thirty percent after September 11th when a special lane for pre-cleared frequent travellers was temporary shut down.

New immigration officers will replace the National Guardsmen, who are under direct command of Ms. Boettcher, within the next few months.

The U.S. Border Patrol, which is responsible for guarding the areas between checkpoints, will also be increasing staffing levels. Until then, it is also getting help from the National Guard.

John Bates is the Deputy Patrol Chief for the 176 kilometre long border between the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountain range. He has been assigned a helicopter and crew for the next five and a half months. After that, a full-time aircrew will replace them.

Mr. Bates says right now, the guardsmen are just getting use to the area. Although they have not encountered any adverse situations, he is confident it is only a matter of time.

// Bates Actuality one //

"There's a lot of learning to go on with this, and getting use to each other. Training up on the area. They've never worked the border before. So, there's a lot of the first few weeks is really area familiarization and getting them use to that. The weather is going to get better here and we're going to have them up more and more. I know personally that our agents are very happy to hear that they're there. It's an added tool that will help us and the agents that are working out there. We haven't had any incidents yet that I can point to and say oh, "they've helped us out on that one or helped us out on that one," but we're looking for that to happen in the next few months."

/// end Act ///

Before September 11th, the United States focused most of its border personnel along its southern border with Mexico, to curt the traffic of drugs and illegal immigrants.

Mr. Bates says that the military presence is making up for a current lack of resources. But he said it is not the militarization of the longest undefended boundary in the world.

// Bates Actuality two //

"In reality, this is truly not the militarization of it. This is a short-term relief for the addition of

a helicopter that we're bringing on board and also an additional pilot for us. They're not going to be conducting any arrests. They will not be doing any enforcement activities. Their role is strictly support."

/// end Act ///

Lt. Colonel Bret Dougherty (DOCK-er-ty) is the commanding officer of the National Guard stationed along the border near Vancouver.

A history teacher at a suburban Seattle High School in regular life, he says most of the soldiers are familiar with the border. But he said, they were surprised by the lack of resources encountered by border agencies, like Customs, Immigration, and the Border Patrol.

// Dougherty Actuality one //

"I think what struck most of us is the fact our border patrol, customs, and INS brethren have really been stretched thin by the extra workload brought about by September 11th. So, it was interesting for us to see that and to know that we really are needed up here. And we're glad to have the opportunity to come up here and do our part."

// end Act ///

/// OPT /// There have been recent efforts to arm the members of the National Guard who have been assigned to border duty.

But Mr. Daugherty says the idea is to help personally secure soldiers assigned to do overnight security at isolated outposts.

// Dougherty Actuality two //

"It will be primarily for the personal protection of soldiers. And especially soldiers that are

deployed out to the very remote crossing points in eastern Washington where they are essentially on guard duty at night in a very remote location. So, again it is for personal protection and no decision has been reached and quite frankly, I don't think we're going to have a decision reached for some time."

/// end Act -- End OPT///

The current involvement of U-S military personnel in guarding the western Canada - U-S border has brought back a more than 100-hundred years old memory for people of both countries. The last time was when American and then British colonial forces squared off in the 1859 "Pig War" over setting the international border between the mainland and Vancouver Island. The incident started when American soldiers shot a farmer's pig on a disputed island.

This time is diffenrent. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States that shocked the world, both U-S and Canada have joined force in fighting terrorism. And speculation that terrorists might try to cross the border south of Vancouver to the United States has proven to be well grounded.

One recent example is Palestinian born Abu Mezer, who failed to cross the western border to the United States three times but was eventually shot by New York police while trying to bomb the city's subway. U-S authorities said he was linked to the terrorist group Hamas.

In December of 1999, Algerian born Ahmed Ressam was stopped by U-S authorities in Port Angeles, Washington trying to leave a ferry from Vancouver Island. Linked to the Al-Qaida terrorist organization, he had over 60 kilograms of explosives in the trunk of his vehicle. Ressam has been convicted in April last year for his plan to blow up the Los Angeles International Airport with that explosives, and was awaited for his sentencing. (signed)

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