The Biden regime is sending 1,500 active duty U.S. troops to the southern border ahead of an expected surge of illegal alien crossings once Title 42 expires.
U.S. soldiers will come from active duty units to serve 90 days in mostly “administrative and transport roles” to free up law enforcement and Border Patrol.
From Fox News:
The 90-day deployment is not inconsistent with support to the border going back to the George W. Bush administration, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The Pentagon said the Department of Homeland Security requested the troops, which will arrive as early as May 10.
Officials said the troop deployment would be similar to deployments to the border ordered by former President Donald Trump. The troops would be armed for self-defense but would not assist with law enforcement.
“For 90 days, these 1,500 military personnel will fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until CBP can address these needs through contracted support,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. “Military personnel will not directly participate in law enforcement activities. This deployment to the border is consistent with other forms of military support to DHS over many years.”
Title 42 was a Trump-era policy which granted Border Patrol broad authority to turn away illegal aliens to Mexico under COVID emergency rules.
The Biden administration insisted on Tuesday that deploying troops to the border to address an anticipated migrant influx wouldn’t be necessary if “Congress would act.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Monday that illegal immigration was down “90%” which Fox News reporter Peter Doocy confronted her about.
Jean-Pierre also wouldn’t explain why the Biden administration decided to follow a Trump-era policy of sending troops to the southern border in the first place.
This comes just weeks after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress the border was secure.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) criticized Biden’s actions as political optics, claiming it would do nothing to address the horde of illegal aliens trying to cross into America.
