US to fortify southern border control with 800 additional troops

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Sep 2023 22:06

US deploys 800 troops to its southern border in an immigration crackdown as it takes more measures to strengthen border control.

US Border Patrol agents hand out bracelets as they process asylum seekers waiting between the double fence along the US-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico, on Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will deploy around 800 additional military personnel to its southern border as part of a broader campaign to push back on migrants entering the country, DHS stated.

"This surge support includes up to 800 new active-duty personnel to assist with logistics and other functions at the border to allow more Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and officers to return to their core mission and responsibilities," the Department of Homeland Security explained.

The troops will add on to 2,500 steady state National Guard personnel, 24,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, more than 2,600 non-uniformed personnel, and 500 law enforcement and general support volunteers.

The Department said it will prolong Temporary Protected Status for 18 months for Venezuelan nationals who resided in the US on or before July 31.

Recently, a US judge issued an order directing Texas to relocate a series of floating buoys that had been positioned in the middle of the Rio Grande in an attempt to impede migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border.

This ruling comes as part of an ongoing battle between Biden's administration and the governor of Texas over US immigration policy.

Federal Judge David Ezra in Austin, the state capital, issued a preliminary injunction mandating the relocation of the contentious buoys, currently positioned near Eagle Pass, to a bank on the Texas side of the river.

The Biden administration argued that the barrier was an unlawful obstruction to navigation and was erected without the requisite authorization from the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The ruling represents a serious setback for Texas Governor Greg Abbott who maintains that Biden has pursued an overly lenient approach to border security, especially considering the surging numbers of migrants apprehended after crossing the border in recent years.