RIO GRANDE CITY, Tex. — The National Guard troops arrived here last week, outfitted in body armor and carrying pistols to help bring more security to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Yet they saw little activity after taking their positions in portable towers and Border Patrol vehicles along the dirt roads and levees that overlooked the dense brush near the Rio Grande.
Some found themselves fighting boredom, chatting with each other about their lives back home — where their jobs were altogether different than looking out for armed traffickers — and wondering how much longer they would be posted in the unforgiving desert heat. Others killed time any way they could during taxing 12-hour shifts watching the silent riverbank.
“The music keeps me up,” said one soldier listening to old-school R&B tunes who requested anonymity because, as several guardsmen explained, the soldiers were not permitted to speak to the media. “We’re keeping our eyes on the brush.”
. . .
But now that the guardsmen have arrived, their exact role, besides keeping watch on the brush, is not entirely clear.
. . .
Meanwhile, the number of border crossers has been on the decline in recent weeks, with the flow of unaccompanied minors slowing considerably.
