The acting Secretary of Defense ordered 1,500 Marines and soldiers to the southern border to help enforce US immigration law. President Donald Trump has made curbing the flow of migrants entering the US a top priority. The new administration is considering increasing the deployment to 10,000 troops.
On Wednesday, Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses ordered 500 Marines and 1,000 soldiers from the Army to the border. Initially, the troops will be limited to roles assisting border enforcement agents, including conducting deportation flights, helicopter patrols over the Southern border, and constructing barriers.
Salesses said the goal is “complete operational control of the southern border.”
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the President cannot order troops to enforce laws on US soil. Presidents have frequently deployed troops to the border to aid immigration enforcement. However, Trump is considering invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act, which would allow the President to order soldiers to engage in law enforcement on US soil.
The ACLU told Axios the organization was preparing to take action if the Trump administration moved forward with using American troops to enforce law in the US.
Salesses said the 1,500 troops could be the beginning of a larger deployment. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “In short order, the department will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS, federal agencies, and state partners to address the full range of threats outlined by the President at our nation’s borders.”
CBS News reports the deployment could swell to as many as 10,000 soldiers.
A senior defense official said the deployment could evolve to include more aerial surveillance. “We also anticipate that there could be some additional airborne intelligence, surveillance and support assets that would move down to the border to increase situational awareness,” they explained.
The White House said stronger immigration and border enforcement was a top focus for the new administration. “This is something President Trump campaigned on,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary. “The American people have been waiting for such a time as this — for our Department of Defense to actually implement homeland security seriously. This is a No. 1 priority for the American people.”
