World News | Biden sends 1,500 troops to deal with surge in migrants at Mexico border

WASHINGTON, May 3 (AP) — The Biden administration will send 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border starting next week, ahead of an expected surge in immigration after coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions end.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that military personnel will perform data entry, warehouse support and other administrative tasks so that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can focus on the field. Jean-Pierre said the force “does not perform law enforcement functions or interact with migrants or migrants.” “This will free up Border Patrol agents to perform their vital law enforcement duties.”

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Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig said they would be deployed for 90 days and would be withdrawn from the Army and Marine Corps, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would seek to backfill them with National Guard or Reserve units during that time. General Patride said. There are already 2,500 National Guard members at the border.

COVID-19 restrictions that allow U.S. officials to turn away tens of thousands of migrants across the southern border are set to lift on May 11, and border officials are bracing for a surge. Even under restrictions, the administration is seeing record numbers of people crossing the border, and President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on illegal border crossers and opening up new avenues to provide alternatives to the dangerous and often deadly journey.

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For Biden, who announced his Democratic re-election bid a week ago, the decision shows his administration is serious about trying to reduce the number of illegal border crossings, a potential source of Republican attack, and sends a message to potential border crossers, Don’t try the journey. But it also drew potentially unpopular comparisons with Biden’s Republican predecessor, who has frequently criticized his policies. Meanwhile, Congress has resisted taking any substantive action related to immigration.

Then-President Donald Trump deployed active-duty troops to the border to assist Border Patrol agents with large migrant caravans, on top of National Guard troops already in that role.

Jean-Pierre played down any similarities between Biden’s immigration administration and Trump’s use of the military. “For nearly two decades, DoD personnel have supported CBP at the border,” Jean-Pierre said. “So it’s a common practice.”

It’s another line of defense designed to manage overcrowding and other problems that can arise as border officials move away from COVID-19 restrictions. Last week, administration officials announced they would commit to swiftly screening immigrants seeking asylum at the border, swiftly deporting those deemed ineligible and imposing penalties on those who enter the United States illegally or pass through other countries on their way to the U.S. border.

They will also open centers outside the U.S. for people fleeing violence and poverty to apply for legal air travel and settlement in the U.S., Spain or Canada. The first machining centers will be opened in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow.

The Pentagon on Tuesday approved a request to send troops from the Department of Homeland Security, which manages the border.

There’s a problem with the deployment: As a condition of Austin’s previous approval of National Guard troops to enter the border by Oct. 1, the Department of Homeland Security must agree to work with the White House and Congress on a long-term staffing solution and funding plan Pentagon spokesman Air Force Center “The orderly and humane processing of immigration in order to maintain border security and security does not involve the continued use of Department of Defense personnel and resources,” Chancellor Devin Robinson said.

As part of the agreement, the Pentagon has asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide quarterly updates on how it will staff its border missions without the military. It’s unclear whether those updates have happened, or whether border officials will be able to honor the terms of their agreement — especially under the pressure of another expected surge in immigration.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was addressing the matter. “CBP is investing in technology and personnel to reduce the need for DoD support in the years ahead, and we continue to call on Congress to support us in this mission,” the agency said in a statement. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)