The National Guard has patrolled the southwest border for years. Has the mission gone on too long?

The last four presidential administrations have sent National Guard troops to the southwest border. About 2,400 of them are now watching the border and helping the Department of Homeland Security in other ways.

Katherine Kuzminski, a researcher with the Center for a New American Security, said the long-running mission raises a big question: “Is this the proper role for the National Guard or does that indicate that there needs to be more resourcing for the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection?”

Kuzminski suspects part of the reason that the Guard has been deployed so long is because it’s easier politically. Money for the Guard comes out of the defense budget, which is less controversial than border security funding.

“So this is a way to quietly fill that capacity need without having to renegotiate budget items or increase a budget,” she said.

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