Lawmakers gave mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s decision to send 1,500 new U.S. military personnel to the southern border with Mexico.
The White House and Pentagon announced on May 2 that the executive branch would nearly double the amount of troops working along the border from 2,500 to 4,000. The 1,500 new troops will serve in a limited capacity, performing data entry, tracking and surveillance, transportation, and other tasks. It is hoped that the move will free Border Patrol agents up to focus on apprehending illegal aliens.
However, the troops going to the border will not be performing any law enforcement actions.
U.S. Marines help to build a concertina wire barricade at the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for the arrival of a caravan of migrants at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego on Nov. 13, 2018. (Reuters/Mike Blake)
The announcement comes ahead of the expected end of Title 42, a COVID-era immigration policy making it easier for illegal aliens to be turned away along the border. The end of the program is expected to heavily exacerbate a situation that has already left Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) struggling to keep up with limited resources….