The US announces the temporary deployment of 1.500 troops to the border with Mexico.
The Pentagon is looking for ways to replace active-duty personnel with those from the reserve force, according to the head of the US defense agency.
Sputnik Brazil - The Pentagon said today (02) that the Biden administration will temporarily send 1.500 additional troops to help protect the border between the United States and Mexico. The action comes because soon, when COVID-19 border restrictions are later lifted, there may be an increase in illegal immigration this month.
The 90-day deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the U.S. Border Patrol, but will not perform law enforcement functions, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The troops will perform ground monitoring, data entry, and depot support to free up border agents and "fill critical capacity gaps," Ryder said.
The force will be added to an ongoing detachment of approximately 2.500 National Guard troops, according to media reports.
According to the British news agency, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, when questioned about the troop deployment in a press conference, said that the US is a sovereign nation and that Mexico respects its decisions.
Joe Biden, a Democrat running for reelection in 2024, has faced a record number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally since taking office in 2021, and has been heavily criticized by Republicans for reversing the hardline policies of former President Donald Trump.