WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Defense is reportedly slated to pull over 1,000 troops from the southern border in the coming week, despite reports detailing that the border is actively experiencing a surge of illegal alien encounters.
A report from the Associated Press notes that an anonymous Department of Defense official confirmed the planned extraction of 1,100 troops of the approximately 1,500 currently stationed at the southern border to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The extraction will reportedly occur on August 8th.
As for the remaining 400 troops, they will reportedly remain stationed along the border through August 31st.
The aforementioned troops were part of a 90-day deployment authorized by the Biden administration back in early May to assist CBP with various administrative tasks and warehouse support, with the goal in mind being to free up CBP personnel so they could focus on work in the field.
Officials within the Biden administration put the effort into motion in anticipation of a surge of illegal aliens along the southern border due to the ending of Title 42, a COVID-19-era policy which expedited the expulsions of purported asylum seekers back to their country of origin while their cases were reviewed.
At the time of the announced effort back in May, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized to members of the press that the troops being pulled from the Army and Marines would “not be performing law enforcement functions or interacting with immigrants, or migrants.”
The number of encounters occurring at the southern border in the days leading up to the expiration of Title 42 were concerning, with Border Patrol agents reportedly encountering approximately 10,000 entries without inspection per day and had, at one point, approximately 27,000 individuals in custody.
While encounters along the southern border were initially experiencing a downward trend amid the 90-day deployment of Army and Marine troops following Title 42’s shuttering, encounters and apprehensions reportedly began trending upward again come July. The July spike reportedly saw approximately 130,000 encounters transpire along the southern border.
Said development resulted in the minute expansion of the deployment, according to a DoD spokesperson who spoke with the Daily Caller: “On July 19th, the secretary authorized up to 400 active duty troops to remain at the [Southwest Border] in support of DHS/[Customs and Border Protection] until August 31. It is my understanding that this authorization came as the result of a request from DHS/CBP for an extension.”
Even though the Biden administration is opting to pull 1,100 troops from the border despite the active surge in encounters, this depletion will not impact the 2,300 actively deployed National Guard troops in the region assisting CBP.
Governor Kim Reynolds out of Iowa serves as one of the latest Republican governors to join in on sending National Guard troops to the southern border to assist in managing the crisis. The governor announced on August 2nd that she plans to send roughly 100 Iowa National Guard troops to Texas, expressing criticism of the Biden administration’s perceived failures concerning the southern border in her statement. “Since the administration refuses to invest in securing the border and protecting its citizens," she said, "Texas has asked other states to help, and Iowa is ready and willing to assist.”
The presence of National Guard troops along the U.S./Mexico border is meant to assist CBP in a manner somewhat commensurate to that of the deployed Army and Marine troops, tending to some administrative and logistical operations but also reportedly filling gaps in some ground operations.
A report from the Associated Press notes that an anonymous Department of Defense official confirmed the planned extraction of 1,100 troops of the approximately 1,500 currently stationed at the southern border to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The extraction will reportedly occur on August 8th.
As for the remaining 400 troops, they will reportedly remain stationed along the border through August 31st.
The aforementioned troops were part of a 90-day deployment authorized by the Biden administration back in early May to assist CBP with various administrative tasks and warehouse support, with the goal in mind being to free up CBP personnel so they could focus on work in the field.
Officials within the Biden administration put the effort into motion in anticipation of a surge of illegal aliens along the southern border due to the ending of Title 42, a COVID-19-era policy which expedited the expulsions of purported asylum seekers back to their country of origin while their cases were reviewed.
At the time of the announced effort back in May, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized to members of the press that the troops being pulled from the Army and Marines would “not be performing law enforcement functions or interacting with immigrants, or migrants.”
The number of encounters occurring at the southern border in the days leading up to the expiration of Title 42 were concerning, with Border Patrol agents reportedly encountering approximately 10,000 entries without inspection per day and had, at one point, approximately 27,000 individuals in custody.
While encounters along the southern border were initially experiencing a downward trend amid the 90-day deployment of Army and Marine troops following Title 42’s shuttering, encounters and apprehensions reportedly began trending upward again come July. The July spike reportedly saw approximately 130,000 encounters transpire along the southern border.
Said development resulted in the minute expansion of the deployment, according to a DoD spokesperson who spoke with the Daily Caller: “On July 19th, the secretary authorized up to 400 active duty troops to remain at the [Southwest Border] in support of DHS/[Customs and Border Protection] until August 31. It is my understanding that this authorization came as the result of a request from DHS/CBP for an extension.”
Even though the Biden administration is opting to pull 1,100 troops from the border despite the active surge in encounters, this depletion will not impact the 2,300 actively deployed National Guard troops in the region assisting CBP.
Governor Kim Reynolds out of Iowa serves as one of the latest Republican governors to join in on sending National Guard troops to the southern border to assist in managing the crisis. The governor announced on August 2nd that she plans to send roughly 100 Iowa National Guard troops to Texas, expressing criticism of the Biden administration’s perceived failures concerning the southern border in her statement. “Since the administration refuses to invest in securing the border and protecting its citizens," she said, "Texas has asked other states to help, and Iowa is ready and willing to assist.”
The presence of National Guard troops along the U.S./Mexico border is meant to assist CBP in a manner somewhat commensurate to that of the deployed Army and Marine troops, tending to some administrative and logistical operations but also reportedly filling gaps in some ground operations.
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