National Park Service officials are not commenting on how much the recent deployment of law enforcement rangers from around the country to parks on the U.S.-Mexico border is costing the agency, where the money is coming from, or how that will impact law enforcement in crowded parks this summer.

As the Traveler reported early this month, teams of law enforcement rangers are being dispatched from around the National Park System to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona and Amistad National Recreation Area in Texas on a rotating basis to help with border control. 

Under the deployment plan, teams of seven rangers -- four law enforcement rangers, two U.S. Park Police officers, and one Investigative Services Branch ranger -- are being sent "to increase staffing and capacity at the designated border parks," according to a memo from R. Duane Michael, acting chief ranger for the National Park Service's Northeast Region. "These resources will be under the operational control of the assigned park and will (1) support normal park operations and (2) conduct operations that support CBP border security objectives."

The deployments come when border crossings have dropped significantly; in fiscal 2017, apprehensions were down to their lowest level since 1971, according to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Too, more of those caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border were likely doing so to seek asylum.

And the head of the union that represents Border Patrol agents has called the administration's recent move to send National Guard troops to the border lands "a colossal waste of resources."

"We have seen no benefit," Brandon Judd, president of the union that represents 15,000 agents, the National Border Patrol Council, told the Los Angeles Times this past week.

The Park Service deployments also come as most parks are heading into the busiest months of the year, when the hiring of seasonal rangers has been adversely impacted by the Park Service wrongly applying hiring regulations, and when the ranks of National Park Service law enforcement rangers are shrinking, according to a May 2017 report from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

Jeremy Barnum, the chief spokesman for the National Park Service, declined to answer Traveler questions pertaining to:

* The costs of the deployments;

* Whether Organ Pipe and Amistad have seen a recent uptick in illegal border crossings;

* Which parks are being asked to provide rangers for this program;

* Whether any parks along the U.S.-Canada border will see similar deployments, and;

* Whether anything was being done to help short-staffed parks across the system that are trying to protect resources and provide visitors with an enjoyable experience.

"We do not share specifics of law enforcement operations," he said in an email.

Also seeking answers relating to the deployment is U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who is the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee. He wrote Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for answers to a number of questions:

1 – How much will this deployment cost?

2 – Did (the Department of Homeland Security) ask for additional assistance with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol enforcement objectives along the border? If so, how did the DOI coordinate with DHS to determine the appropriate personnel to deploy?

3 – What specific activity will be conducted by U.S. Park Police? Will NPS personnel be responsible for arresting, detaining or holding individuals? If so, please describe the relevant training that prepares U.S. Park Police to “stop illegal border crossing.”

4 – Of the various National Park Service assets on the U.S. borer with Mexico, how were these two sites selected?

5 – The U.S. Park Police is traditionally located in three urban areas: San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. How will this deployment impact law enforcement personnel in these locations? How will the deployment impact law enforcement capabilities at other national parks?

6 – You stated that this deployment is “the first of many steps Interior will take to secure the homeland.” What other steps does DOI plan to take?