Troops at U.S.-Mexico border a "colossal waste," Border Patrol union leader says

“They were allowed to do a lot more than they are under the Trump administration,” Judd told the LA Times. “They were allowed to be in lookout and observation posts. They were allowed to be out grading the roads and mending fences. They were allowed to be our eyes and ears, freeing us up.”

Now, Judd and union spokesman Chris Cabrera said the troops are stationed far from the border and have to be stationed alongside agents, which is creating more work and not freeing up agents for patrols.

An unnamed Pentagon official told the LA Times that state governors set the terms of how the National Guard troops are used at the border.