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Monday afternoon, the projected number of federal troops being sent to the U.S./Mexico border ratcheted up exponentially. Initial reports of 800 ballooned to 5200 by the time a Pentagon press conference made it official.
BREAKING: Defense Department sending 5,200 active-duty troops this week to "harden" southern border against migrant caravan, still some 1,000 miles from U.S.
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 29, 2018
The DoD briefing was pretty clear on the numbers.
Administration officials said last week that they were considering a plan to send up to 1,000 active duty troops to the border, but that deployment, dubbed Operation Faithful Patriot, will now surpass 5,200, said General Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern Command. He said the number of troops could rise depending on the demands placed on U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents manning the border.
“That is just the start of this operation,” O’Shaughnessy said during a press conference at CBP headquarters in Washington on Monday. “Border security is national security.”
…The troops will not conduct law enforcement activities, but some will be armed as they provide support to Border Patrol agents along the border.
Using federal troops means they get there much quicker than a reserve call-up, and they have more assets immediately available. A support role maintains the constitutionality of the orders, and well as being a pretty clever (*insertsmirk*) work around:
Use of active-duty troops also enables the Trump administration to bypass California Gov. Jerry Brown, who has resisted use of troops along the border in the past.
There already are about 2,000 National Guard troops assisting at the border under a previous Pentagon operation.
Using troops in a support role means they would not violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the federal government from using the military in a domestic policing role.
Using federal troops at home is fraught with its own peril. For starters, the illegal immigrant caravan has hardly been a model of good order and discipline. And when the countries in the way have attempted to turn them back, or deny them access to a border crossing at all, it gets violent quickly.
A 26-year-old Honduran migrant has died of a head wound after a group of migrants clashed with Guatemalan and Mexican police on a border bridge between the two countries.
Guatemalan volunteer firefighters said they tried to treat the man Sunday but the injury apparently from a rubber bullet was too severe.
The Honduran migrants broke down the metal gates at the Guatemalan and Mexican border stations at the Suchiate River after authorities in both countries closed them. Firefighters said dozens of people were hurt.
Mexican Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete says his country’s police were not carrying guns, not even to fire rubber bullets. He says federal police were attacked with “stones, firecrackers, glass bottles and glass bottles,” and some of the aggressors were carrying firearms and gasoline bombs.
Ah, yes. Quite a different picture from a law enforcement perspective, as opposed to that ‘women and children’ line we keep hearing. In any event, it’s a horrible situation for federal troops to be in. They are NOT trained law enforcement, only have rudimentary crowd control training, and there will be Hell to pay if one of them shoots somebody, WHATEVER the circumstances (see this case where a Marine was charged in a border shooting).
All of this is allowing proponents on the other side of the issue to wail about cruelty, stupidity racism and…election theater.
The rapid timetable of the operation suggests the Trump administration wants to get the troops to the border before the election, even though a caravan of migrants that is moving through Mexico is still hundreds of miles from the border.
“The men and women of the U.S. military work hard to protect us from real threats. It is beyond cynical, and sets a terrible precedent, to exploit them for political stagecraft in the run-up to an election,” said Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, an advocacy group that focuses on Latin America.
“The migrant caravan is mostly children and families. Most plan to ask for asylum if they make it to the U.S. border, and most will not make it. By the time they get here, the so-called caravan may be just a few hundred people. Unless soldiers are being trained to fill in asylum forms and to care for kids and moms, this is the very opposite of what the U.S. military’s mission is,” he added.
“MOSTLY children and families.” REALLY? Then what did my lying eyes see in the video above? Or in damn near ANY picture of the horde?
Like this one:
Entirely reminiscent of the waves coming out of Syria towards Europe – 90+% young and male. That seems to have worked out so well for European countries, n’est pas?
An anti-Trump beat goes on, regardless. The AP – journalistic integrity incarnate – wouldn’t take sides, would they? In. A. Heartbeat.
Trump escalates threats against migrant caravan
Eager to focus voters on immigration in the lead-up to the midterm elections, President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his threats against a migrant caravan trudging slowly toward the U.S. border as the Pentagon prepared to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to support the border patrol.
“At a moment we need a president that helps the nation heal and unite, we have one that is ripping us apart and using racism, xenophobia and antisemitism as strategic weapons in the run up to the elections,” tweeted Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group.
All the reports knock themselves out to repeat, ad nauseum (besides ‘women and children’), that the caravan is “STILL HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.” Logistics is a foreign concept to folks who advocate foreign invasions.
Federal troops don’t magically appear when the caravan does. Nor should they. That would be the exact opposite of “prepared.” Troops in situ and prepared are also a deterrent of their own – knowing the defenders are ready for the assault may very well give everyone, but the most hardened cases pause to reflect on the wisdom of continuing. Indeed, it’s also much safer for all concerned. There is chaos in last minute response.
The troops are expected to perform a wide variety of functions such as transporting supplies for the Border Patrol, but not engage directly with migrants seeking to cross the border from Mexico, officials said. One U.S. official said the troops will be sent initially to staging bases in California, Texas and Arizona while the CBP works out precisely where it wants the troops positioned. U.S. Transportation Command posted a video on its Facebook page Monday of a C-17 transport plane that it said was delivering Army equipment to the Southwest Border in support of Operation Faithful Patriot.
National Guard troops routinely perform those same functions, so it remains unclear clear why active duty forces would be used. The National Guard is often used by states to help with border security. But active duty troops are rarely deployed within the United States except for domestic emergencies like hurricanes or floods.
The U.S. military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with the deployment plans.
Just a constant drumbeat of “why is this happening” for the feeble minded. Witness the Daily Mail’s characterization of a mob’s gate storming.
“Rowdy.” Like lads out on Saturday night!
Our obligatory “RACIST” tweet:
All the cheerleading makes one wonder if they don’t read their own articles. Tucked in among the heartrending appeals, and condemnation of defending one’s borders, are all these little nuggets about peace loving/escaping violence caravan folks.
American military equipment has already begun arriving at the southern border ahead of an imminent troop deployment to block the migrant caravan, while in Mexico tensions have broken out with migrants attacking a local man who was distributing food.
To repeat: they attacked a man giving them food.
Municipal security chief Raul Medina Melendez in the town of Tapanatepec says that some in the crowd grew upset when a man with a megaphone urged them to line up and wait their turn for sandwiches and water the town was distributing late Saturday.
He says some began to attack him and he fled down a street. A false rumor spread that the man had grabbed a child for protection from the attackers.
The assailants caught and beat him, but police intervened and he was treated at a hospital.
Delightful.
Contrary to what everyone above believes, this IS an invasion. The president is well within his purview to truncate the attempted border breach AT the border, AND use the military if he feels he has to. Our very oath as United States military members says “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” There are no specifications what the enemy looks like, what defines enemy, nor if you can only actively defend against enemies on foreign shores. It simply says ALL enemies.
There are, give or take, 7000 foreign invaders heading towards our very long, very porous, inadequately defended border. Our overstretched Border Patrol has its hands full with the normal swarm of everyday fence jumpers, desert trekkers and river swimmers.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Nielsen said there was a “crisis on the border” with U.S. officials apprehending 1,500 to 1,700 migrants a day outside of those associated with the caravan, asserting those making their way toward the border won’t be allowed in the United States.
Talk about Election Theater! Read what desperate MO Senator Claire McCaskill had to say to Fox News:
Well, shut my mouth and call me “Nancy”! How about that?
This is a concentrated attempt to breach our national boundary and it cannot stand. It is far safer to overplay your hand than have too little. At long last, having a president (and his defense secretary) who understands, and WILL DEFEND THE BORDER, is a wonderful thing.
Feature Photo Credit: AP Photo/Santiago Billy
GWB says: The troops will not conduct law enforcement activities
Can we please get over the stupidity that enforcing our territorial sovereignty is a “police matter”? It’s the primary purpose of any nation’s military! Enforce the border!
A support role maintains the constitutionality of the orders
It’s not a constitutionality issue. The posse comitatus restriction is a legal one, not a constitutional one.
a domestic policing role.
Using federal troops at home is fraught with its own peril.
They’re NOT being used “at home”, nor in a domestic role. Please, let’s not let the left overly constrain our military from the uses for which it was actually intended.
only have rudimentary crowd control training
At times better than our police. But they haven’t really been tasked to deal with it in a number of years.
there will be Hell to pay if one of them shoots somebody
THIS will be the real problem. It shouldn’t be, but the bleeding heart a*holes will turn it into one. This is why it’s so important to stop the baloney about posse comitatus and “law enforcement actions”.
The Honduran migrants broke down the metal gates at the Guatemalan and Mexican border stations….
He says federal police were attacked with “stones, firecrackers, glass bottles and glass bottles,” and some of the aggressors were carrying firearms and gasoline bombs
These are the actions of an invading army! They need to be shot, as necessary, to protect our national sovereignty and the integrity of our borders.
And, personally, I think anyone who thinks this army should be let in, willy-nilly, should be prosecuted for attempting to overthrow the Constitutional government of the United States.
The men and women of the U.S. military work hard to protect us from real threats.
You mean… like an invading army trying to cross our border?
It is beyond cynical
Why, yes, yes it IS beyond cynical to treat these folks as anything other than an invading army.
this is the very opposite of what the U.S. military’s mission is
You’re a liar or an ignoramus. Maybe both. But, since we’re being cynical, I’ll assume LIAR. Because your organization does NOT advocate for America, but for those outside America (and I will almost GUARANTEE against America’s interests, and for communists).
America’s Voice, an immigration anti-American communist advocacy group
FIF the AP
not engage directly with migrants seeking to cross the border from Mexico
This again. I sure as hell hope they engage with them (while hoping they don’t need to), since their primary job is protecting the US from invasion.
rarely deployed within the United States
Again, they’re commonly deployed within the US, and this deployment is facing outward.
nor if you can only actively defend against enemies on foreign shores
Which would be f***ing STUPID. But a lot of our electorate has been propagandized into believing exactly that.
Honestly, the stupidity and perverseness of the progressives really makes me want to revert to a less civilized time (since they seem to want us to roll back to that, as well). We mow down the first rank of invaders, capture a few more, then put the dead’s heads on pikes all along the border, and maybe hang a few we capture, too.
Then we build a wall, with a moat and f*ing alligators, land mines, and automated machine gun emplacements.
THEN we put a couple of border crossing points out beyond all that, and – if you ask VERY nicely – you can enter our country there, if invited.
Armst says: Agree. Besides push them across the border to ATTACK the caravan on Mexican soil…thus the military is operating on FOREIGN Soil…doing exactly what they are suppose to do….protect America from invaders. Kill.Them. All. Then this will never happen again. But if it does…respond only these time airstrikes at a distance.
Troll Feeder says: Napalm.
Beege Welborn says: A Fisking masterpiece, GWB!
Kathy says: Excellent, GWB!
Also, it has been reported I don’t remember where that smaller groups of more aggressive folks are breaking from the caravan and traveling via vehicles to get to the border quicker and possibly in different places. Combine that with the drug runners that are known to send bait to one place and them come in another, having more law enforcement there earlier and more spread out would be a good thing. The US border is very long.
Beege Welborn says: Oh, you bet, Kathy – especially considering the latest:
Second migrant caravan storms into Mexico: ‘Violent’ group from Central America carrying BOMBS and guns defies a huge police presence to cross the border from Guatemala as Trump deploys 5,200 troops
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6331353/Second-migrant-caravan-storms-Mexico.html
IN place, IN sufficient numbers, ready to go is where they need to be.
Jim says: ”…migrant caravan…”
It’s a column of invaders. They are not migrants. Migrants apply to come through the ”front door” so-to-speak via application and being formally processed by Immigration Authorities, not break down the door.
William Graves says: Posse Comitatus is a congressional law which applies to police powers. In the event of an invasion, it is arguably not applicable. Then the constitutional mandate that the militia be called forth to quell an invasion arguably takes precedence. If a soldier kills someone, on active duty, it is tried under the UCMJ, and not in the civil courts.
Beege Welborn says: “If a soldier kills someone, on active duty, it is tried under the UCMJ, and not in the civil courts.”
It doesn’t always shake out that way, William. In the incident I referred to above, the Marine had a possible Texas Grand Jury indictment to deal with and the Feds worked with the civilians:
“The grand jury had conducted the first day of its session more than two weeks ago. But, amid complaints by Mr. Valadez that officials from the Marine Corps and other Federal agencies had been uncooperative The three other marines involved in the incident, as well as several Border Patrol agents who arrived on the scene after the shooting, all declined to respond to subpoenas, and Mr. Valadez said at the time that they had done so on the advice of Federal officials who had demanded that the subpoenas be redrafted.
Since then, however, talks between the local prosecutors and Federal officials resulted in a pledge of limited immunity for the three marines and cleared the way for all those originally subpoenaed to testify.”
OldParatrooper says: The President is sending active duty Army personnel because the National Guardsmen cannot be relied upon to follow the President’s orders until they are Federalized. Their current deployment is under State Active Duty (SAD) status, where they are under the orders of the Governor of their State.
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