He Pentagon will begin to deploy until 1,500 soldiers on active duty to help ensure the southern border of the US in the coming days, U.S. officials said, setting in motion plans that the president donald trump established in executive orders shortly after taking office to crack down on the immigration.
The acting secretary of defense, Robert Salesseswill sign the deployment orders on Wednesday, but it was not yet clear which troops or units will go, and the total could fluctuate.
It remains to be seen whether they will end up taking over law enforcement, which would put US troops in a dramatic new role not performed in recent history.
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The forces are expected to be used to support border patrol agents, with logistics, transportation and barrier construction. Photo: AFP
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made. The forces are expected to be used to support to the border patrol agentswith logistics, transportation and construction of barriers.
The American chain cnn had reported that “thousands” of soldiers would be sent to the border American with Mexico.
There are already about 2,200 forces on active duty on the border as part of the Joint Task Force-Norththe border mission of the United States Northern Command, based in El Paso (Texas), which helps the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to perform logistical and bureaucratic tasks, such as data entry, detection and surveillance, and vehicle maintenance.
There is also a contingent of National guard on the border called Operation Lonestarled by the Texas National Guard.
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