Washington – The US Department of Defense approved Monday the sending of 320 additional soldiers to the border with Mexico to support the Border Patrol in the management of the current migration crisis, according to a statement.
These new soldiers will assist the border agents, among other functions, with the transportation of migrants or “monitoring the welfare” of the undocumented in custody.
They will also be in charge of administrative tasks and food distribution, as well as legal assistance to the Immigration and Customs Service (ICE, immigration authorities) with lawyers to assist in the deportation process.
The shipment responds to a request to the Pentagon of the Department of National Security (DHS), responsible for both border security and immigration, and will cost 7.4 million dollars until September 30, date now scheduled for his withdrawal.
The interim Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, who until a few weeks ago was the head of the Border Patrol, acknowledged at the end of March that his agents are overwhelmed by the current wave of immigration.
“The Border Patrol faces an unprecedented humanitarian and security crisis across its southern border,” he said, noting also that the body’s police stations are overcrowded.
In March, nearly 100,000 immigrants crossed the southern border irregularly, an unprecedented figure in the last five years.
This is precisely why DHS has asked for this reinforcement of personnel to help manage the number of immigrants so that they can focus on their border security functions.
These 320 soldiers will join the nearly 5,000 soldiers that are already deployed in the border area, 2,900 Pentagon dependents and about 2,000 National Guard reservists, focused on construction and road improvement functions, installation of lighting and reinforcement of the wall that separates the USA from Mexico.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, said days ago that the troops were already on their way to the border, although the Pentagon denied that point.
On Monday, after the announcement of the sending of soldiers, Trump said on Twitter that Mexico is “one of the most dangerous countries in the world.”
“The coyotes and the cartels totally control the Mexican side of the southern border, they have nearby laboratories where they manufacture drugs that they sell in the US Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries in the world, must already eradicate this problem. migration to the US, “said the president. EFE
