President Joe Biden’s administration will temporarily send 1 500 additional troops to help secure the US-Mexico border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in preparation for a possible rise in illegal immigration when COVID-19 border restrictions lift later this month.
The 90-day deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the US Border Patrol but not carry out law enforcement duties, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. They will conduct ground-based monitoring, data entry and warehouse support to free up border agents and “fill critical capability gaps,” Ryder said.
The force will be in addition to an ongoing deployment of about 2 500 National Guard troops.
The so-called Title 42 restrictions, set to end on May 11, allow US authorities to rapidly expel non-Mexican migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum.
Biden, a Democrat running for reelection in 2024, has grappled with record numbers of migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border since he took office in 2021.
Republicans have criticized Biden for rolling back the hardline policies of Republican former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for his party’s nomination. Some Democrats and immigration activists also have lambasted Biden for gradually toughening his approach to border security.
