President Biden sends 1,500 troops to the border

2023-05-02 22:45:55, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Biden's administration will send 1,500 military personnel to the United States' border with Mexico. The decision comes on the eve of the expiration of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, which is expected to bring an increase in the number of immigrants at the border. The news was confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder.

Mr. Ryder said the Pentagon on Tuesday approved the troop request made by the Department of Homeland Security, which manages the border.

Military personnel will not deal with tasks related to law enforcement, but only with matters related to the introduction of immigrant data into the system, and other administrative tasks, so that employees of the Customs and Border Protection agency focus on field work. The troops will be sent there for about 90 days, and their stay at the border can be extended, if deemed necessary.

Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed US officials to turn back tens of thousands of immigrants who had arrived at the country's southern border. But these restrictions will be lifted on May 11, so officials at the border are preparing for an expected increase in the number of immigrants. But even amid the restrictions, the administration has faced a record number of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who have crossed the border illegally, as well as offering alternatives to avoid a dangerous and often deadly journey.

President Biden's actions follow similar moves by his predecessor, Donald Trump, who, in addition to National Guard forces, deployed active duty military personnel to the border to assist Border Patrol personnel in processing data on convoys of all with immigrants. There are currently around 2,700 National Guard troops on the border.

For President Biden, who announced a week ago the launch of the campaign for re-election to the head of the White House, the decision signals that his administration is treating seriously the efforts to reduce the number of illegal border crossings, which have been a powerful source of attack from Republicans. These measures also serve as a message to those who would potentially cross the border illegally not to attempt to do so. But on the other hand, these actions may become the cause of a potentially unwanted comparison of Mr. Biden with his Republican predecessor, Mr. Trump, whose policies, Democrat Biden has often criticized. Congress, meanwhile, has refused to take any substantive action on immigration.

White House spokeswoman Jean-Pierre downplayed any similarities between Mr. Biden's handling of the immigration surge and how Mr. Trump used the troops during his tenure.

" Military personnel have supported Customs and Border Protection personnel for nearly two decades now ," said Ms. Jean-Pierre. " So this is a common practice ," she added further.

Last week, administration officials announced they would work to quickly process asylum-seeking immigrants at the border, deport those who don't qualify, and penalize those who cross the border illegally.

Likewise, centers will be opened outside the United States for those people who leave their countries because of violence and poverty, giving them the opportunity to apply for asylum in the United States, Spain or Canada. The first processing centers will be opened in Guatemala and Colombia./ VOA