Washington.- Some 550 soldiers have begun arriving at the US-Mexico border as part of the first military support group ahead of an expected surge in migrant arrivals, US defense officials announced Tuesday.
The soldiers will have as their main task to help guard the border when the restrictions on asylum implemented in the Covid-19 pandemic are withdrawn, and they will not have any contact with the migrants.
More than 900 soldiers, marines and air force members will arrive at the US southern border by the end of the month, as the US government steps up efforts to police the border and process migrants arriving in the territory.
The initial plan calls for a 90-day deployment of active duty forces, as they can move to the border much more quickly than National Guard or Army Reserve Officers Training Corps soldiers.
The Pentagon has said that some of the soldiers could be replaced over time by reservists, who need more time to deploy.
According to a defense official, most of the active-duty soldiers will carry out surveillance and detection work, which is carried out from trucks parked along the border.
They will replace border agents, who usually do those jobs, freeing them up for law enforcement and other tasks. In addition to guarding the border, the soldiers will also handle data entry and storage support.
The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been released.
U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum, but the United States has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants 2.8 million times since March 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Those restrictions expire Thursday.
Almost all of the elements arriving at the border this week are army soldiers, according to the official. The second group of more than 900 members, which will arrive later, will include about 300 soldiers, 550 Marines and 75 pilots. The soldiers will include military police units.
The US Marine Corps contingent will come from Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, according to Marine Maj. Jim Stenger. He did not provide the exact date of his arrival.
Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said at least some soldiers will be deployed near El Paso, Texas.
Approximately 2,500 National Guard members have already been deployed to all sectors of the border, providing a range of support services to Customs and Border Protection, such as surveillance, detection and airlift.
The new infusion of soldiers will be part of that, as well as administrative and data entry tasks to free up border agents so they can deal more directly with migrants. The military elements do not carry out any police activity.
Even with Covid-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the US government has seen record numbers of people cross the border, and President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on illegal crossers and creating new pathways aimed at offering alternatives. to a dangerous and often deadly journey.
