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‘Buckle up’: 1,500 troops to be deployed to border, surge reportedly grows as Title 42 set to end

May 2, 2023 | | Print Article

With days remaining until the scheduled end of Title 42, President Joe Biden’s decision to deploy hundreds of troops for reinforcement had many addressing the obvious: “I thought the border was secure.”

Tuesday, administration officials confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had sought aid from the Department of Defense (DoD) ahead of the May 11 termination of Title 42 emergency deportations. The addition of 1,500 U.S. troops, expected to serve in administrative and transport roles, will allow agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to return to their law enforcement responsibilities.

“At the request of DHS, DOD will provide a temporary increase of an additional 1,500 military personnel, for 90 days, to supplement CBP efforts at the border,” a U.S. official said in a statement reported by CNN. “These 1,500 military personnel will fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until CBP can address these needs through contracted support. They will not be doing any law enforcement work.”

The announcement comes as crossings have spiked again in advance of Title 42’s end. Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reacted to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz highlighting some figures from a recent 72-hour period that saw nearly a half-ton of methamphetamine and 62 pounds of cocaine seized with over 22,000 apprehensions.

“Woah!! Over 22,000 Border Patrol apprehensions in the last 72 hours, an average of over 7,000 per day, putting us right back into peak numbers we were seeing last year,” Melugin said Monday, “as we are now 10 days away from the lifting of Title 42 and an expected major surge. Buckle up.”

Similarly, KTSM reporter Shelby Kapp shared a video from El Paso, Texas depicting hundreds of illegals camped out on the streets near the Sacred Heart Church and noted, “This is the most migrants I have ever seen in this area.”

Earlier this year, CBP had reportedly been seen arresting illegals outside that same church ahead of Biden’s photo-op appearance at the border, ostensibly so that the situation would not appear as severe as it actually is.

Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly gone on record dismissing the nature of the crisis while remaining under investigation for dereliction of duty and facing the possibility of impeachment.

“Do you view what’s happening right now in the border as a crisis?” he had been asked by reporter Sharyn Alfonsi of “60 Minutes” regarding the five million illegals that had entered the United States since Biden took office.

“I view it as a significant challenge,” Mayorkas replied only to be pressed, “Why won’t you say the word crisis?”

“You know what, because I have tremendous faith in the people of the Department of Homeland Security, and a crisis speaks to me of a withdrawal from our mission, and we are only putting more force and more energy into it,” he tried.

Reacting to the announcement to deploy what amounted to military reinforcements to tackle a lasting and unaddressed invasion, both the status of the border and the actual purpose of the troops were called into question.

Kevin Haggerty
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