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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 2 august 2023
The Pentagon is pulling 1,100 troops from the US-Mexico border

mission

By TARA COPP and REBEC- nounced it has sued Texas
CA SANTANA Gov. Greg Abbott to force
Associated Press the state to remove float-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ing buoys in the Rio Grande
Pentagon is pulling 1,100 that the federal govern-
active duty troops from the ment says present a hu-
U.S.-Mexico border it de- manitarian and environ-
ployed earlier this year as mental concern.
the government prepared The departures also do not
for the end of asylum re- impact an additional 2,300
strictions linked to the pan- National Guard troops un-
demic. der federal orders who re-
Defense Secretary Lloyd main at the border in similar
Austin approved the de- supporting roles, National
ployment of a total of 1,500 Guard chief Gen. Dan
active duty troops for a Hokanson said last week.
temporary 90-day military Those troops will not be ex-
presence surge at the bor- tended, but other units will
der in May. At the time, il- be rotated in to replace
legal border crossings were them when their deploy-
swiftly escalating with con- ments end.
cerns they’d go even high- Austin has tried to get the
er after the restrictions end- Migrants are escorted by a U.S. Army soldier after entering into El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Department of Homeland
ed but instead the numbers Mexico to be processed by immigration authorities, May 10, 2023. Security to fully assume
have fallen. Associated Press the border protection role
The 1,100 troops will con- with the goal of freeing up 27,000 migrants in custody. The active duty military instead of continually rely-
clude their 90-day mission Customs and Border Pro- But immediately after Title troops’ departure is also ing on military troops. As a
by Aug. 8; the remain- tection personnel to be out 42 expired, the numbers happening as much of the condition for Austin’s pre-
ing 400 will be extended in the field. dropped sharply to about Biden administration’s im- vious approval of National
through August 31, a de- The troops were intended 5,000 encounters a day, migration agenda is sub- Guard troops to the border
fense official said on the to help back up border of- and have stayed low, ac- ject to court challenges. through Oct. 1, Homeland
condition of anonymity to ficials dealing with the end cording to the agency’s Last week a federal judge Security had to agree to
discuss details ahead of an of Title 42. That rule allowed data. ruled that an administra- work with the White House
announcement. the government to quickly But it’s far from clear how tion rule limiting asylum ac- and Congress to develop
At the time the troop move- expel tens of thousands of permanent these drops cess at the southern border a plan for longer-term staff-
ments were made public migrants from the country are. Already the number of was against the law. The ing solutions and funding
officials stressed that the in the name of protecting people crossing the Darien administration is appealing shortfalls.
active-duty troops would America from COVID-19. Gap, a key route for mi- that ruling, arguing that it’s In a response to the AP,
not be taking front-line posi- In the days leading up to grants headed to the U.S. a key part of their efforts to the Pentagon said DHS has
tions on the border or inter- the end of Title 42, bor- from South America, during maintain order on the bor- outlined a plan to increase
acting with migrants but in- der agents were encoun- the first seven months of the der. personnel and technology
stead doing tasks like data tering 10,000 migrants a year is more than all of 2022 Separately the Justice De- investments to meet future
entry or warehouse support day and at one point had combined. partment last week an- surges.q

Global AIDS program gets new home

in State Department bureau

The bureau is to include the ca. He helped set up some to try to squash any such
20-year-old initiative known of the sub-Saharan's first GOP conditions on the HIV
as the President's Emer- sophisticated labs for work program, the skirmish sig-
gency Program for AIDS with HIV and AIDS. nals the PEPFAR program is
Relief, or PEPFAR. The pro- President George W. Bush now likely a captive of U.S.
gram is relatively unknown started PEPFAR in Africa in abortion politics going for-
to Americans but has suc- 2003. The program retains ward.
ceeded beyond most early bipartisan support. But Secretary of State Antony
Ambassador-at-Large John Nkengasong, new head of the expectations in addressing anti-abortion groups and Blinken, in a ceremony for
Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy at the State the AIDS crisis and is cred- some House Republicans, the new Bureau of Global
Department, speaks during the launch of the new bureau, ited with saving up to 25 including Rep. Chris Smith Health Security and Di-
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, at the State Department in Washington. million lives worldwide. of New Jersey, are pushing plomacy, made only a
Associated Press
The bureau will be led by to attach abortion-related passing reference to the
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER outbreaks a lasting priority a public health official in- limits on U.S. health support abortion fight threatening
Associated Press of U.S. foreign policy, even tegral to PEPFAR, John N. overseas to the reauthoriz- PEPFAR's normally assured
WASHINGTON (AP) — as one of its key elements Nkengasong. Born in Cam- ing legislation They are also support from lawmakers,
The State Department – a widely acclaimed HIV eroon, Nkengasong was a seeking yearly votes on saying he hoped Congress
launched a new bureau program – has become founder of U.S. Center for PEPFAR's continuance. approved the program for
Tuesday aimed at making caught up in the political Disease Control and Pre- While the Democratic-con- another five years, without
the battle against global battle over abortion. vention operations in Afri- trolled Senate is expected amendments.q