Biden Administration Approves Sending 1,500 US Troops To Border

A Border Patrol officer sits inside his car as he guards the US/Mexico border fence, in Nogales, Arizona, on February 9, 2019. (Photo by Ariana Drehsler / AFP) (Photo by ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty Images)

Amid worries that tens of thousands of migrants wl flood the country once Title 42 is lifted, the Biden administration has approved sending 1,500 active-duty United States troops to the southern border in the coming days.

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Title 42, the public health provision that allows the United States to reject asylum and immigration applications for public health reasons, is slated to expire on May 11th. Senior U.S. officials fear that the repeal of Title 42 may encourage more immigrants to cross the border into the country in search of a better life.

According to two senior U.S. officials involved with the discussions, the American troops would come from a range of current active duty Army units, and would serve for 90 days in largely administrative and transport jobs to free up law enforcement and Border Patrol.

According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, the 90-day deployment is consistent with assistance for the border that dates back to the George W. Bush administration.

According to one of the individuals, the extra personnel would address “critical capability gaps,” such as detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support. They are being dispatched in response to a request from the Department of Homeland Security. They will stay there for up to 90 days, after which the job will be done by contractors, or military reservists, according to two of the officials.

The soldiers would join the 2,500 National Guard personnel already activated to assist law enforcement at the border if Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin grants the official request from the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday as expected, according to a Defense Department official who, like the other three officials quoted for this story, requested anonymity to speak before an announcement.

Migrants had previously been cautioned by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that entering the country illegally “will result in removal.” To make appointments at ports of entry where their asylum applications may be processed, travelers are encouraged by the Biden administration to utilize the CBP One app.

The Biden administration has created a new asylum rule in advance of the repeal of Title 42, which will prevent immigrants from being eligible to do so if they entered the country illegally, haven’t scheduled an appointment using the CBP One app, and haven’t already requested asylum in a country they previously passed through.