Biden sends 1,500 troops to border for expected surge.

Biden Administration Sends Troops to Southern Border Ahead of Expected Surge in Illegal Crossings

The Biden administration is sending 1,500 troops to the U.S. southern border in anticipation of a surge in illegal crossings next week. This move comes as Title 42, a public health order implemented during the Trump era that allowed for the immediate expulsion of illegal immigrants, is set to be repealed on May 11. The end of Title 42 is expected to bring a fresh wave of illegal migration, with some predicting as many as 11,000 crossings a day.

What Will the Troops Do?

The troops will perform administrative and logistical functions, freeing up border agents to actively police the border and apprehend migrants. According to Fox News, the military personnel will join 2,500 National Guard troops already assisting at the border. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that “Military personnel will not directly participate in law enforcement activities. This deployment to the border is consistent with other forms of military support to DHS over many years.”

Why is the Biden Administration Sending Troops?

Illegal immigration has surged to unprecedented levels since Biden was elected. On Monday, Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz reported that law enforcement made over 22,000 apprehensions at the southern border over three days, or about 7,000 per day. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration was sending troops to make up for the lack of action taken by Congress to fix a broken border system. “More work needs to be done,” said Jean-Pierre. “We put forth comprehensive immigration legislation, and Republicans in Congress refused to act, and so the president has used the tools he has in front of him to prepare ahead of Title 42 lifting.”

What About the Criticism?

The Biden administration’s move to post military personnel at the border is reminiscent of an action taken by former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2018 midterm election. Trump ordered 5,200 active-duty troops to the border to help secure it against a caravan of migrants that, at the time, numbered 3,500 people. Democrats at the time, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris (CA), criticized Trump’s troop surge to the border, saying it left them “deeply disturbed by the overt politicization of the military.”

State of Emergency in El Paso

El Paso Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency in his city ahead of Title 42’s end. El Paso already has illegal migrants sleeping on its streets as it prepares for a wave of migrants on the heels of Title 42’s repeal next week. During a press conference announcing the state of emergency, Leeser said he visited Juarez and saw migrants camping just across the U.S. border waiting for the health policy to end.

Summary

• The Biden administration is sending 1,500 troops to the southern border ahead of an expected surge in illegal crossings next week.
• The troops will perform administrative and logistical functions, freeing up border agents to actively police the border and apprehend migrants.
• The move comes as Title 42, a public health order implemented during the Trump era that allowed for the immediate expulsion of illegal immigrants, is set to be repealed on May 11.
• Illegal immigration has surged to unprecedented levels since Biden was elected.
• El Paso Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency in his city ahead of Title 42’s end.