A new report has revealed that President Joe Biden's administration is contemplating sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S. border ahead of the end of Title 42 next week. The soldiers would come from various active-duty Army units and serve predominantly in administrative and transport roles to free up law enforcement and Border Patrol resources.
Although the troops will not be directly involved in law enforcement activities, they will provide crucial support for the approximately 18,600 agents stationed at the border. This reinforcement comes in anticipation of a potential surge in migrants after Title 42 expires on May 11th.
El Paso, Texas Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency on Monday but warned migrants that entry into the United States would remain restricted under former President Donald Trump's order allowing swift rejections at the border and immediate returns to Mexico.
This deployment marks one out of seventeen by the Defense Department over twenty-one years across four administrations. With illegal crossings expected to increase following Title 42's expiration next week, these additional forces are being deployed primarily for administrative tasks rather than apprehending undocumented immigrants.
Federal authorities have expressed concern about tens of thousands of migrants currently traveling through or encamped within Mexico who plan to cross into America starting May 12 when they will no longer face immediate denial upon arrival.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond immediately when asked for comment regarding this issue. However, it was reported earlier that DHS requested assistance from Pentagon forces as Title 42—a Trump-era authority implemented due to COVID-19—expires later this month.
President Joe Biden also issued an executive order authorizing heads at both Department of Defense (DOD) and DHS divisions responsible for calling reserve troops into active duty related specifically with anti-drug operations along Southwest borders.
As part his commitment towards mitigating international drug trafficking, Biden's executive order supports sending 1,500 active-duty soldiers for a 90-day period to the U.S.-Mexico border. This move is expected to strengthen U.N. Customs and Border Protection efforts while simultaneously preparing for Title 42 orders' expiration on May 11th.
The additional deployment will increase military personnel numbers at the border to approximately 4,000 service members responsible for addressing "capability gaps" in ground-based detention and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support roles until CBP can replace them with contractors.
This decision occurs amidst mounting pressure from both Republicans criticizing President Biden's policies as well as allies who claim his enforcement measures are too harsh. Similar troop surges were approved by former President Donald Trump earlier in recent years; over 3,000 extra active-duty troops were deployed along the southern U.S. border during early 2019 alone.