FederalDaily - August 2, 2006

National Guard Credited With Drop in Illegal Border Crossings

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attributes a significant drop in the number of illegal Mexican immigrants crossing into the Border Patrol’s Tucson, Ariz., sector to the recent presence of National Guard troops there. The number of apprehensions in the busy sector, which includes more than 280 miles of border, has dropped from about 600 a day in March to 200 a day in July, according to Border Patrol officials. Although officials said those rates vary by season, they ascribed the latest drop to the arrival of National Guard troops for Operation Jump Start, an initiative announced in mid-May to help secure the U.S. border with Mexico. CBP said National Guard support through the initiative has led to the apprehension of 1,863 illegal aliens. As many as 6,000 troops were expected to be on duty along the entire 1,300-mile U.S. border with Mexico by August 1.

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Bill Would Provide Tax Credit for Feds in Combat Zones

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has thrown its support behind a House bill that would establish a tax credit for federal civilian employees serving in combat zones. Introduced July 27 by Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., Tom Davis R-Va. and Joe Schwarz, R-Mich., the Federal Employee Combat Zone Tax Credit Act (H.R. 5920) would extend a tax credit to federal civilian employees serving in war zones such as Iraq. A tax break previously was provided to military personnel only. AFGE President John Gage said the legislation “amounts to fairness” for federal civilian employees serving in dangerous areas around the world. The bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

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Whistleblower’s Grand Jury Date Postponed

The whistleblower who said he spoke to The New York Times before it broke its story about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic surveillance program has obtained a postponement of his scheduled Aug. 2 appearance before a federal grand jury. According to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), Russell Tice, the former NSA intelligence analyst who has said he talked with reporters about the NSA program, gained the postponement after his lawyer asked the Department of Justice for more time to prepare for the appearance. FBI agents on July 26 served Tice with a subpoena ordering him to “testify and answer questions concerning possible violations of federal criminal law,” NSWBC said. After receiving the subpoena, Tice said in a statement that the government’s aim was “to ensure that people who witness criminal action being committed by the government are intimidated into remaining silent.”

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