KXO Radio AM1230 and FM 107.5

Austin, Texas (June 11, 2007) – On Friday, June 9, an investigation initiated by the U.S. Border Patrol resulted in the arrest of three Texas Military Forces Soldiers in the Laredo border sector. The Soldiers were on orders for Operation Jump Start. They are currently being held by civilian law enforcement officials under suspicion of illegal immigrant smuggling.

The Texas Military Forces are cooperating fully with our U.S. Border Patrol partners in this investigation and will ultimately determine whether or not any future military justice actions against the Soldiers are appropriate.

Texas Adjutant General Lt. Gen. (TX) Chuck Rodriguez was extremely disappointed to learn of this situation, especially in light of the fact that 23,000 Texas Military Forces Soldiers and Airmen perform their duty faithfully, honorably and with distinction every day, both in Texas and around the world.

“Our military service members have an affirmative obligation to be actively supportive of our law enforcement partners at every level of government,” General Rodriguez said. “This is our duty.  Any breach of the public’s trust and military law by our Soldiers will be thoroughly investigated.”

The military justice investigation initiated by the Texas Military Forces will in no way interfere with any civilian law enforcement action.

We will defer any questions of fact or law about this situation to the appropriate civilian law enforcement authorities to avoid jeopardizing the criminal investigation while still respecting every individual’s rights to due process.

The trust of the American people is a highly treasured commodity; we will continue to work through the investigation to guarantee the historically high quality National Guard service to the U.S. Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies our nation’s citizens have come to expect from the Texas Military Forces.