Mattis to Send 800 Troops to Southern Border
Fox News reported that Secretary of Defense James Mattis was to sign an order on Thursday sending 800 more troops to the Southern Border to assist the Department of Homeland Security in dealing with the Migrant Caravan(s). The President has classed the caravan as a national emergency.
Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council is right when he says on @foxandfriends that the Democrat inspired laws make it tough for us to stop people at the Border. MUST BE CHANDED, but I am bringing out the military for this National Emergency. They will be stopped!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018
BREAKING: AP source: Defense Secretary Mattis expected to sign order to send at least 800 troops to US-Mexico border.
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 25, 2018
Hundreds of US troops heading to the border to deal with migrant caravan, official says https://t.co/obIyBbk4Df pic.twitter.com/cPO5oG2zy6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 25, 2018
There are already 2,100 National Guard Troops at the border, the vast majority of which are unarmed. A surge of illegal immigrants in August brought the total of persons detained up 50% from August of 2017 according to a blog by Jamie Dupree at WSB radio.
According to Military Times, the 800 troops will not be National Guard troops, but regular active duty military. They will be there to “provide administrative duties” and the DoD did not say whether they will be armed.
“DoD is committed to continuing its support to ensure the safety and security of CBP personnel involved in border security operations, increase the effectiveness of those operations, as well as support DHS efforts to stem the tide of illegal entry into the United States.” Navy Capt. Bill Speaks, SecDef spokesman
Does the US military have capabilities that we are not utilizing for this situation?
The Army wrote in 2016,
Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal are developing technology for non-lethal crowd control designed to help protect Soldiers while minimizing collateral damage and preventing any permanent physical harm.
Engineers believe that the Solid State Active Denial Technology or SS-ADT, is highly promising for crowd dispersal, checkpoint security, perimeter security, and port protection from both mobile and fixed site applications. Other potential applications include static defense, suppression of vehicle and vessel operators or occupants, along with critical asset protection.
It is unknown whether the above research was completed. But it would be helpful for dealing with crowds the size of the caravan(s).
Featured photo via Military Times:
[…] Some of them carry the Honduran flag. Someone somewhere told them that the United States would help them get jobs and ask for asylum. All of the beds at the border are full. There has been an influx of families hitting the border since August. […]