CIS Checks in with the Troops of Operation Faithful Patriot
By Todd Bensman on November 19, 2018
Hidalgo, Texas – Unauthorized. That was pretty much the mark on my forehead as far as all the public information officers were concerned. On the morning of my second day to check in on the border military operation formerly known as Operation Faithful Patriot, November 13-16, I still hadn’t secured permissions for interviews with officials, embeds with the regular U.S. Army forces deploying here, or access to base camps. Not for lack of trying. It was due to impenetrable multi-agency bureaucracy. That was all the former rogue reporter in me needed to know for release into the wild.
On my own recognizance, I quickly found an army compound within eyesight of the Hidalgo Port of Entry and parked. Within a minute, the gate opened and a Humvee loaded with concertina wire pulled out, followed by a company of soldiers in pretty full battle-rattle. I jumped out of the car, and followed them on foot along a public hike and bike trail, through gaps in some of the tall permanent fencing overlooking the Rio Grande, until they stopped under the vehicle bridge next to the river and started pulling gear out for one of their missions. I learned that all army missions here are ordained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which knows all the ins and outs of what is needed, where.
https://www.cis.org/Bensman/CIS-Checks-Troops-Operation-Faithful-Patriot
