In the coming days, amid concerns that tens of thousands of migrants will surge into the country once Title 42 is lifted on May 11th, the Biden administration has approved sending 1,500 active duty U.S. troops to the southern border. Reportedly, the troops would be armed for self-defense, but would not assist with law enforcement.
According to two senior U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations, the U.S. soldiers will come from a variety of active duty Army units and will serve for 90 days. Their roles will be in mostly administrative and transport positions, to free up law enforcement and Border Patrol.
The Pentagon said the Department of Homeland Security requested the troops, which will arrive as early as May 10. Officials said the troop deployment would be similar to deployments to the border ordered by former President Donald Trump.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement-
"For 90 days, these 1,500 military personnel will fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until CBP can address these needs through contracted support,"…and… "Military personnel will not directly participate in law enforcement activities. This deployment to the border is consistent with other forms of military support to DHS over many years."
-Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder
Previously warning migrants that illegal entry into the U.S. "will result in removal,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stepped up their efforts in recent days to discourage migrants from overwhelming the border. However, the reality of the government's response to the migrant crisis doesn't reflect the Biden administration's official position, who are encouraging migrants to use the “CBP One app” to schedule appointments, at points of entry where their asylum claims can be processed.
In reality only about 46% of migrant encounters at the border resulted in a Title 42 expulsion, according to CBP statistics. Meanwhile, testifying to Senate lawmakers last month, Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas said that of the nearly 1.3 million migrants in FY 2022, who were processed via Title 8, only about 360,000 were deported. A poor record to be sure.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data shows deportations have plummeted under President Biden, and those who aren't deported are placed into immigration removal proceedings and released into the U.S. pending their hearings. Most of these migrants are just absorbed into the heartland of the country, never making their hearings (which can take years) and remain illegal migrants, taxing American resources for decades.
The Biden administration, in preparation for the end of Title 42, has developed the new asylum rule that bars migrants from being eligible to claim asylum, if they have crossed into the U.S. illegally. Further they are now required to schedule an appointment via the “CBP One app”, and have not claimed asylum in a country through which they previously passed.
The new rules have enraged some Democrats and immigration activists, claiming that it is similar to the Trump-era transit ban, and that it encroaches on the right of anyone from anywhere in the world to claim asylum at the U.S. border. This is despite the fact that, Mayorkas has stressed that the "presumption of ineligibility" will be rebuttable and there are exemptions made for some people.
Nevertheless, the expected migrant surge, as Title 42 ends, has prompted the administration to at least seem more restrictive of the number of those illegal migrants who can expect to be given asylum. However, the administrations lack of seriousness, in their interest in correcting the border security problem is clearly seen, in the fact that illegal migrants can now use an “app” to merely schedule an appointment at their point of entry. Hopefully a show of military presence will reduce the numbers that ultimately enter this country illegally, however it seems doubtful.
“It is amazing how we can make reverse look like forward.”
-Craig D. Lounsbrough