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President Joe Biden has authorized the deployment of an additional 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. The troops will be deployed for 90 days and will come from multiple active-duty Army units. They will join roughly 2,500 National Guard troops who are already stationed at the border.
The extra soldiers will mostly handle administrative jobs and transportation duties, allowing more resources for Border Patrol agents and other members of law enforcement to secure the border. While the troops will not have a law enforcement role, they will be armed for self-defense.
“At the request of DHS, DOD will provide a temporary increase of an additional 1,500 military personnel, for 90 days, to supplement CBP efforts at the border. 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. They will not be doing any law enforcement work,” a U.S. official said in a statement.
The decision to boost the number of troops at the border comes as Title 42 is set to expire on May 11. Title 42 was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic to allow authorities to quickly expel migrants who tried to cross the border. Once the policy expires, officials expect to see a large increase in the number of migrants attempting to enter the United States.