Secretary of Defense approves sending more troops to the border
Secretary of Defense approves sending more troops to the border
The US defense secretary on Friday approved a request to deploy additional US troops along the US-Mexico border, fulfilling President Trump's vote to use the US military in an expanding campaign to stop a caravan of migrants and asylum seekers.
The military deployment is part of a new round of administrative actions on immigration that includes a threat from the Trump administration to seal ports of entry to the border for migrants, including asylum seekers.
Both supporters and opponents saw the latest moves as an escalation of the administration's confrontational stance on immigration, which put political and legal nervousness throughout the country.
The new troops will likely come from military units in active service instead of the National Guard, said an official from the United States, and will arrive at border locations so far unspecified next week.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved the request, which was filed by the Department of Homeland Security, for the troops to augment an existing force of approximately 2,000 National Guard members sent last spring.
The movement occurred when a caravan of thousands of migrants, currently more than 1,000 miles from the border and moving north, has provoked Trump's ire.
Mr. Mattis's orders do not specify how many troops would be assigned to the border, but will tell the Pentagon to determine what military personnel are needed and how to fill out the application, the US official said. UU
The Pentagon hopes to announce which troops will be selected to deploy in the next two days, the US official said.
In comments at the White House on Friday, Mr. Trump said he "called the military" to attend to the influx of illegal immigrants at the border. "We do not let them in," he told attendees at the Black Youth Leadership Summit. "You'd better come back now, now, do we want them to apply and enter legally? Absolutely."
President Trump said that the USA. UU They will put an end to Central American aid as thousands of migrants march to the US border. UU Gerald F. Seib of the WSJ explains why this could be counterproductive. Stock Photo: Getty
While Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the troops would be part of the front line defenses on the border, the uniformed will actually function more as support personnel than as war fighters.
According to a Pentagon statement on deployment, troops will support border agents and the Department of Homeland Security by providing "aviation support to move [Customs and Border Protection] "Personnel, medical equipment to classify, treat and prepare for the commercial transportation of patients, command and control facilities, temporary accommodation for CBP personnel and personal protective equipment for CBP personnel."
In addition, troops will build temporary barriers, barricades and fences, the Pentagon said.
Critics allege that when those active duty troops from the United States are assigned such tasks, they are not focusing on, or training for, their main job, defending the United States from external threats.
"What that means is that Donald Trump is mobilizing the military to be a group of fanatics and activists of the Border Patrol and DHS, which is a serious misuse of our military," said Will Fischer, director of relations for VoteVets, a pro Democratic Defense Group. "That the president takes them out of training affects preparation for the mission."
The movement to send troops emerged this week as a problem in the tough struggle of the Texas Senate. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic challenger, said Mr. Trump was stoking fears about immigration, while his rival, Republican Party chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, said he supported the president's plan to increase the security as migrants advanced towards the US UU
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said her agency is consulting with the Department of Defense on options for using troops along the border with Mexico, including which equipment would be most effective in preventing people from the vehicles cross illegally.
"All the options are on the table," Nielsen said at an event near the port of entry in Calexico, California, on Friday. She was there to show 2 miles of newly constructed border fences made of steel poles 30 feet tall.
The number of troops deployed will be determined by the Department of Defense, Nielsen said. An administration official said a previously reported figure of 800 soldiers was "premature" and that the Pentagon is reconsidering the number.
In addition to temporarily sealing the ports of entry along the border with migrants, other options being considered include a reinterpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the president the authority to implement immigration restrictions through proclamations. .
The particular statute under review "is very vague and has never been used or thought of the way this president has thought it," said a former attorney for the Department of Homeland Security.
Asylum cases are governed by an international treaty and the statute of the United States. UU., And the procedures for processing individuals have generally been simple. However, as Mr. Trump seeks to defend his repression against immigration based on national security interests, a reinterpretation of the immigration law could provide a space to alter the rules.
"It has incredibly broad powers," said the former official. "And the fact is that nobody has tested their limits."
A border closure would deny protection to people who can prove they will be persecuted if they return to their country, said Omar Jadwat of the American Civil Liberties Union. "We're going to see it very closely and all the options, including the legal ones," he said. "This country should not be in the business of denying asylum to people who have legitimate claims."
The administration official said that Mexico's efforts to control the movements of caravans have reassured US officials and that US officials are in favor of joining Mexico in this matter.
-Alicia A. Caldwell in Calexico, California, contributed to this article.
Write to Nancy A. Youssef in nancy.youssef@wsj.com and Vivian Salama in vivian.salama@wsj.com
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