Pentagon appears poised to extend Mexico
border deployment
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[December 01, 2018]
By Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon
received a request on Friday from the Trump administration to extend its
deployment of troops to the U.S. border with Mexico beyond a Dec. 15
authorization date to the end of January, officials said.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is expected to sign off on the
extension of the mission, strongly hinted earlier this week that such a
request by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was in the works.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment shortly before November
congressional elections as a part of an effort to crack down on illegal
immigration, as waves of thousands of migrants escaping violence in
Central America trekked toward the United States.
Border security is a major issue among voters in Trump's Republican
Party.
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Critics, including opposition Democrats in Congress but also some U.S.
military veterans, have derided the troop deployment as a political
stunt. Democrats have threatened to investigate the deployment once they
take control in the House of Representatives next year.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement, cited the "the very
real threat we face at the border from potential mass migration actions"
when it confirmed the extension of the mission, which had been reported
earlier on Friday by Reuters.
"The president has made it clear that border security is a top
administration priority," DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a
statement.
This request refines support to ensure it remains aligned with the
current situation, the nature of the mission, and Customs and Border
Patrol operational requirements.
About 5,600 troops have been deployed to the border, but many of them
have been involved in efforts to improve security around border
crossings, including stringing up concertina wire. Many of those troops
could be sent home. Remaining troops could focus on other missions,
including helping fly U.S. border personnel to new positions along the
border.
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![](../images/120118pics/news_h15.jpg)
U.S. Marines deploy concertina wire at the U.S. Mexico border in
preparation for the arrival of a caravan of migrants at the San
Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, California, U.S. November 15,
2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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Still, officials caution that its unclear how far troop levels will
decline. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
troop levels were not expected to decline dramatically.
Neither the Pentagon nor the DHS speculated about troop levels on
Friday.
The Trump administration has justified the high-profile border
mission on a perceived threat to the border, as thousands of
migrants, mostly migrants from Honduras, flooded into the city of
Tijuana across the border from San Diego, California, over the past
several weeks.
U.S. customs and border control officers fired tear gas canisters
into Mexico at dozens of migrants who tried to rush border fencing
on Sunday.
Under the harsh immigration policies introduced by the Trump
administration, U.S. border officials say the migrants may have to
stay put in Mexico for months before they can petition authorities
for asylum.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati,
editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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