The Pentagon is sending a contingent of troops to the southern border to reinforce Customs and Border Protection (CBP) missions ahead of an expected surge in migrant entrances later this month, a U.S. official confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Department of Homeland Security requested the Pentagon’s assistance as Title 42, a Trump-era authority implemented in the wake of COVID-19 is scheduled to sunset on May 11, opening the way for thousands of migrants who would formerly be subject to expulsion to seek entry into the U.S. A temporary addition of 1,500 military personnel will mostly perform administrative tasks and will not conduct any law enforcement work, leaving that to CBP, the U.S. officials told the DCNF.
“At the request of DHS, DOD will provide a temporary increase of an additional 1,500 military personnel, for 90 days, to supplement CBP efforts at the border,” the official said. “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.”
“They will not be doing any law enforcement work,” the official added.
The official did not say whether the troops would be drawn from active duty units or be called up from the Ready Reserve, but added that more details should become available soon.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas laid out plans to accommodate the expected migrant surge on April 27, including expanded legal pathways for entering the U.S. and harsher penalties for attempting to enter illegally.
President Joe Biden also issued an executive order Thursday authorizing heads of the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to call up reserve troops to active duty for anti-drug missions at the southwest border.
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