Pentagon Secretary Pat Ryder reported that President Joe Biden’s administration will send 1,500 troops to the border with Mexico on May 11 as part of the end of Title 42.
“At the request of the Department of Homeland Security” (DHS), Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, “approved a temporary increase (…) of 1,500 additional military personnel to supplement the efforts of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP)” Ryder said in a statement.
They will take care of tasks such as identification, surveillance or data entry for up to 90 days, until CBP can hire personnel to take care of them, he explained.
“Military personnel will not be directly involved in policing activities,” says Ryder.
On May 11, a controversial health regulation known as Title 42 will be lifted, which allows most migrants who enter without a visa or documentation to be blocked or deported at the border.
In an effort to stem the avalanche of migrants, President Joe Biden’s government in late April announced various measures, such as the opening of centers in Colombia and Guatemala, for those who would be able to enter the country.
But he also warned that “the border will not be open” and that Title 8 would apply, which allows for the removal of all immigrants who do not have a right to enter and, unlike Title 42, punishes them with a re-entry ban. If they do so, at least five years. Try again, plus possible criminal prosecution.
In another statement, DHS claimed to be requesting assistance “due to an anticipated increase in immigration”.
The note added that Department of Defense personnel “do not and will never condone police activities or interactions with immigrants or other people in DHS custody.”
