 Air National Guardsmen construct a fence along the Mexican border in 2007 | |
| Date | 2006–July 15th 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mexico–United States border |
| Participants | National Guard of the United States |
Operation Jump Start was amilitary operation to aidU.S. Customs and Border Protection, announced by PresidentGeorge W. Bush in May 2006. The mission entailed the deployment ofUnited States National Guard troops along theMexico–United States border for purposes of enforcement of border security and construction of a border fence. The rules of deployment were defined in amemorandum of agreement between officials in theDepartment of Defense and the governors ofArizona,California,New Mexico,Texas, andMexico.
National Guard members involved in the operation were not involved inlaw enforcement activities due to the political and moral aspect of using troops on the U.S./Mexico border. They were supporting theU.S. Customs and Border Protection andU.S. Border Patrol agencies with administrative, observational and intelligence gathering capacities, and civil engineering projects. By temporarily taking over these functions from the USC&BP, they freed up sworn agents to field units.
Military operations with Operation Jump Start were primarily to observe and report.[1] Therules of engagement for the operation were very restrictive and only allowed escalation to lethality when met with an equal amount of force from another. The National Guard set up entry identification team sites to spot undocumented aliens. Many of the areas of operation were in desolate locations; some locations were so remote that troops were flown in byUH-60 helicopters.
On 15 July 2008, Operation Jump Start came to an end. At its peak there were as many as 6,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen on the mission with more than 29,000 from every state and territory. During the operation:
In 2008, theArmed Forces Service Medal was authorized forNational Guard forces deployed toTexas,New Mexico,Arizona andCalifornia to assist theDepartment of Homeland Security with securing the southwest U.S. border.
