The Biden administration is drawing up plans to send an additional 1,500 troops to the US-Mexico border to deal with an influx of immigrants when Title 42 expires next week, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN.
In a report from El Paso, Texas, CNN showed images of the chaos that exists in that border city with thousands of undocumented immigrants living on the streets because the shelters and shelters are at their peak and the churches cannot cope with the avalanche of people.
The military has long provided support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the border; the surge of his staff into the area is unprecedented. There are currently approximately 2,500 National Guard troops on site.
The new contingent of troops, the 1,500 newly arrived, will fulfill administrative functions and none of law enforcement, the sources told the chain. Their assistance is intended to free up DHS resources so that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can operate more smoothly, the sources added.
“At the request of DHS, the Department of Defense will provide a temporary surge of 1,500 additional military personnel, for 90 days, to supplement CBP efforts at the border. These 1,500 troops will fill critical capacity gaps such as ground 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,” a US official said in a statement.
Later Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved the deployment.
“For 90 days, these 1,500 military personnel will fill critical capability gaps such as ground detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until CBP can address these needs through contract personnel,” Ryder said.
In recent weeks, border officials have noted an increase in the number of migrants crossing the southern border in the face of the imminent expiration of Title 42, devised by Trump at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and which has allowed authorities quickly expel migrants. Title 42 is scheduled to end on May 11.
Last July, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requested Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for troops to assist CBP from October 1, 2022 through September 2023. Austin approved the deployment of 2,500 troops to the border , which remain there now. The 1,500 troops are expected to join them in the coming days.
The expected surge in immigrants starting next week comes at a critical time for Biden, who immediately after launching his 2024 presidential bid will have to navigate another potential border crisis, exposing him to attacks from Republicans who have hit the administration.
“We expect encounters at our southern border to increase as smugglers look to take advantage of this change and are already hard at work spreading misinformation that the border will be open after that. Elevated encounters will put a strain on our entire system, including our dedicated and heroic workforce and our communities,” Mayorkas said Thursday.
“Let me be clear: our border is not open and it won’t be after May 11.”
