Domenici wants continued guard presence at border

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is seeking to gain assurances for a strong continued National Guard presence on the New Mexico border when Operation Jump Start (OJS) ends this summer.

Domenici has sought to continue OJS, the two-year program launched in 2006 to deploy National Guardsmen to the Southwest border to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in border security. There are currently some 300 guardsmen associated with OJS on the border.

Guard personnel were instrumental in 79,875 arrests and the seizure of more than 784 tons of illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs, as well as 21,603 weapons and $32.6 million in property on the national level.

“There’s no secret that drugs are coming in from Mexico and I think these numbers speak for itself as indicating that this program should continue,” said Los Alamos Police Det. DeWayne Williams this morning. “Law enforcement only tends to catch a small percentage of what’s really happening so you can just imagine what the numbers really are.”

Domenici questioned Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, at a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the FY2009 budget for the Guard and Reserve, according to a news release.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday