Biden Sends 1,500 Active-Duty Troops To The U.S.-Mexico Border

The Biden administration sent 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S. border with Mexico, administration officials said. The troop movement comes before an anticipated influx of migrants at the border, as U.S. immigration policies change.

The troops are being sent to the border with non-combatant missions – they are likely to fill gaps in transportation, data entry and narcotics detection. The 90-day deployment will provide aid to the 2,500 National Guard members already at the border. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested the troop movement.

Austin stated the movement was necessary because of “an anticipated increase in migration.”

Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the troop deployment was standard Department of Homeland Security (DHS) practice

“This deployment to the border is consistent with other forms of military support to D.H.S. over many years,” Ryder said in the statement.

The troop movement precedes the ending of Title 42. The pandemic-era policy enacted by the Trump administration gave public officials the right to expel migrants as a public health measure.

Biden administration officials have waffled over the continuation of Trump-era border policies – such as detaining migrant families.

Joe Biden‘s 2020 campaign promised the White House would seek compassionate policies for migrants seeking passage at the U.S. border. Active-duty troop movement recalls Trump-era policies, sending 5,000 active-duty troops and members of the National Guard to the border.

Republican officials have slammed Biden’s border policies as lax, as immigration numbers have spiked during his administration.