Yesterday, Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses ordered 1,500 troops to our southern border to assist Border Patrol and other officials in their efforts to halt the free passage that had been permitted by the former administration. This first group to be deployed includes about 500 Marines and 1,000 Army soldiers. Salesses said the troops initially will fly helicopters and help in the construction of barriers and will not at first be involved in actual law enforcement. That could change, however, should the need arise. Troops were last used for law enforcement in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots.
Calling the move “just the beginning,” Salesses said, “the department will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS, federal agencies, and state partners.” Potentially, the number of troops sent could reach 10,000. Approximately 2,500 US National Guard and Reserve forces are already there.
The move was in response to one of the dozens of executive orders the newly returned president signed on Monday, Inauguration day. That particular order read in part:
A National Emergency currently exists along the southern border of the United States. Unchecked unlawful mass migration and the unimpeded flow of opiates across our borders continue to endanger the safety and security of the American people and encourage further lawlessness. Through this order, I am acting in accordance with my solemn duty to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.
For more, see the Associated Press.