President Donald Trump signed an executive order this Wednesday to deploy 1,500 military personnel to the border with Mexico, thus taking the first step to fulfill his promise to “close” the passage of migrants and reinforce border security.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt explained in statements to reporters that Trump had signed an executive order for the deployment of 1,500 military personnel.
“This is something Trump campaigned on. The American people have been waiting for a moment like this, when the Department of Defense takes national security seriously. “It is a number one priority for the American people, and the president has already delivered,” he said.
These 1,500 troops will join the 2,200 active military personnel and the 4,500 reservists of the Texas National Guard who are already deployed on the border.
Read: Migrants debate between returning to their countries or staying in Mexico after Trump’s measures
As CNN explained, the new troops will perform functions similar to those of the troops already present, focused on supporting the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) with logistical and administrative tasks, such as vehicle maintenance and the entry of data.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump ordered the sending of 5,200 troops to the border with Mexico.
On Monday, hours after assuming the presidency again, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Pentagon to mobilize the troops necessary to achieve “complete operational control of the southern border of the United States.”
The order also states that Trump will evaluate in the next 90 days the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which would allow the military to assume law enforcement functions within the country, in a role closer to that currently performed by the security forces.
Currently, troops deployed on the border do not have authorization to carry out police tasks, such as arresting migrants or seizing drugs.
In the United States, laws such as the Posse Comitatus of 1878 prohibit the armed forces from acting as police on national territory.
With information from EFE
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