continues. host: >> pentagon. she for the military times joining us to discuss the trump administration planted upon u.s. military troops to thehe southen border. first explain what we know about the size of this nation and with that mission is going to be. some specifics are there are active force and that's important, we'll get to that in the second and were looking at about 700-800 troops to automate the already 2000 national guard's that are at the border. those are dispatched earlier this year secretary mattis authorize their department to the border to help customs and border patrol agents. >> host: where are these new troops going? along theanywhere texas mexico border, extend all the way to california. so the several different major checkpoints where to look for traffic but basically they're going to be backfilling picky will not have active-duty troops armed on the board looking for people crossing the river or whatnot. you are going have been in administrative positions, half in providing aviation support that might be some helicopters or surveillance. you will have them potential in motor pools assisting with getting the different vehicles that are get pretty beat up writing along the border all day long. >> host: wises important these are active-duty troops? >> guest: there's an 1878 law that forbids federalize troops from acting in a law enforcement function in a state. so the reason that national guard troops are initially sent and the mostlyy from four different countries, texas, new mexico, arizona, california. one can those of the borders, the dominant border states but those troops are authorized by the governors and they are under their compass control. therefore not violating the act. if you send in active-duty forces that are under secretary mattis control, federal active-duty troops and they cannot conduct those law enforcement activities. >> host: let's talk about the organization of those troops and the role the governors are going to play then. >> guest: so initially when secretary mattis authorized national guard troops, the governors could send up to 4000 but i think you probably remember there's some a bit of a it became political issue, governors didn't want to send troops. the four border states, texas but the most, provided about 1050 of the three states a couple hundred each. this time secretary mattis this in active-duty peck that we don't ask the governors and it's an immediate response and ability to basically spent up fast and get down there. >> host: should note of future part of an overseas trip with secretary mattis, just got back last night and we are glad to hear. did you have a chance to talk about this specific issue? >> guest: wet. did. when we travel with him he does make itself available to the reporters and so we sat with him for about 30 minutes while we were flying and then again we had a a press conference with hm in the czech republic yesterday when i asked him about this issue. while we were flying wee asked him why i recently active-duty and what will they be doing and he was very clear to say that they had not come to a final decision on the roles have troops will be governed but they would not be in violation of the act and that delicate basically every single diploma to make sure it's in line with the law, we're talkingng with tara copp about the diploma of u.s. troops to the border. if you want to call it and join the conversation, lines as usual. as folks are calling in, who pays for these active-duty and reserve troops on the border? >> guest: because secretary mattis authorize the initial national guardau troops, they ae under the governors authority but they will be reimbursed with federal funds come with active-duty it's just federal taxpayer dollars. >> host: do you have a sense of how much this diploma and agrees on is costing? >> guest: we don't. westerly for that number. >> host: entrants of the dublin that is happened i just troops to the board in the past, take us do not just this administration of past administrations as well when this has happened. >> guest: so it happened during president obama term, during president bush's term. when this seems to be a quote-unquote crisis of the border where there's an influx of immigrants or undocumented kids, u.s. military facilities and personnel have been used to help the customs and border agents deal with that influx. for example, between 2016-2017 there were thousands of undocumented kids that were held at bliss texas. the idea that the military is brand-new to this now it's just not the case. difficulty been asked to b help. >> host: during the obama administration, were their state governors have pushed back soinst this like was somebody's governors doing to the trump administration? >> guest: wno. that's the interesting debate and to think it's because of te larger and heated immigration debate going on is that the use of these troops have become much more of a political issue that was in the past. >> host: we can talk about in the next 20 minutes. tara copp with his having discovered station about this diploma at of u.s. troops to te border. connie is up first in maryland, a democrat. good morning. >> caller: yes hello. i would first like to know how far is that caravan away from the u.s. border? and second i'd like to take on the feeling that many people have that this is being done for political reasons and not for u.s. safety or security reasons. >> host: tara copp? >> guest: as of a few days there was about 1000 miles away from the border and there currently about 95 miles inside mexico. this caravan is traveling primarily on foot. they do getet some vehicle suppt but it's not a fast-moving caravan. at the current rate of speed i do not think to reach the u.s. border by election day. that doesn't keep from being an election issue particularly because we are just recount or so. it is being looked at through political through a political ends. is it a political issue? i guess that come when we look at it like that are not, what was the defense when he asked him that i question? >> guest: we don't ask secretary mattis political questions basically. but his response it was this was your question dhs, , and because they asked him to fulfill this request, he did. >> host: why not ask him some of those political questions? >> guest: the military is apolitical. the quickest way to shut down the conversation try to get secretary mattis or any of the predecessors to wait into a political debate. >> host: what will they do? >> guest: he will just shut and basically. you want to engage, you want to get facts, you want to ask him what with these troops be doing. whether the armed? what cannot be armed? that's the question that is bothered people. what if on military personnel, the big trucks and the armored vests intimidating mothers, children, fathers who are trying to escape violence. right now to predominant amount of troops that will be there are not going to be armed. some of them may be for self-defense but those are the things we try to unravel with the secretary. th larger to engage in a political debate. >> host:ag jerry is in texas. democrat. good morning. >> caller: yes, i'm on? >> host: yes, youh are on with tara copp. go ahead, we are seeing people walking with children, little backpacks, no armor, no guns, no nothing and you could stand up can you could just end up with the truck and stop these people. .. i was in the military and i know that it's really easy to stop a caravan. i don't need thousands of troops on the water. i'm not sure they would stop 7,000 migrants. but the real question iss is this order being fulfilled because the president accepted it.. the department of homeland security officials or the border patrol officers, what are you so what are they saying about this. they definitely support. the number is up. there's about 312,000 apprehensive last year. there is a larger amount of traffic. eve seen a lot of heated rhetoric and intention along attention along the border. they were used to house children. soli that is probably the best use of force is down there. but active duty as we is to be dealing with. . good morning. i'm calling because i'm try to figure out what specific cases are you referring to. i'm talking about kidnapping wiretapping. we are talking about the department with that military time. we are to stick to those topics just as we have our expertise about 15 more minutes. bob, go ahead.ad good morning. i appreciate you being on here this morning answering questions i have heard reports that many of these folks that are heading up to the u.s. border are being transportedbo my buses bosses and other transports on most of the time you see them when their traveling on to be these are for photo ops. another thing mexico has already said they would give these folks asylum. there is a level of violence in mexico that they're trying to escape in mexico.un the ultimate journey is not to end up in mexico where they have new opportunities to potentially start fresh.av there are buses and trucks that have helped some of these people keep moving there walking a thousand miles. i guess they're insinuating that this is an orchestrated effort to do a big photo op. these are families are just looking for help in a new opportunity in every chapter leaders in mexico about the caravan. have any of u.s. officials tried to reach out to that. the warn them one them off before the united states. the irony there is that very few of the people traveling have an iphone that can look at the tweet respond back. once i get to the border this can be a lot more direct discussion this part of the story hasn't really happened yet. if and when they get to the border. you will will be the first contact. there are files that you have to fill out. there's all this backfill and support. as a goal still there to have the border patrol officers leave that first contact. under the orders multi active both the active duty in the guard troops are not authorized to interact with them at all. thank you for taking my call. i've served in the '90s nancy's army for 27 and half years. in the seventh army. out to the point that these guys in the national guard are taking away from their families to go out in the country. i'm sure they're going to come there from the 86 airborne. this is nothing but pure politics. the national guard people should not be out there should not deploy any active duty people i was in europe they have to go to bosnia and represent. now these guys are going out there with rifles and their same here you have a bunch of people coming up with the little better life. it will take you three months to walk a thousand miles. that's if you're lucky. this is dirty politics. we're talking about previous instances of the active duty support.

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