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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 31 OctOber 2018
U.S. troops deployed at the border limited in what they can do

PHOENIX (AP) — The more 5,239 troops were being
than 5,200 active-duty sent to the Southwest bor-
troops being sent by Presi- der as the Pentagon works
dent Donald Trump to the to meet requests from the
U.S.-Mexico border will be Department of Homeland
limited in what they can do Security.
under a federal law that re- "The 5,239 are going for-
stricts the military from en- ward and there will be ad-
gaging in law enforcement ditional forces over and
on American soil. above the 5,239," he said,
That means the troops will adding that number "is not
not be allowed to detain the top line."
immigrants, seize drugs Asked about the use of
from smugglers or have any weapons, O'Shaughnessy
direct involvement in stop- said the active-duty troops
ping a migrant caravan have been given clear
that is still about 1,000 miles guidance on the use of
from the nearest border force and there will be unit
crossing. and individual training to
Instead, their role will large- make sure they know what
ly mirror that of the exist- they can and can't do.
ing National Guard troops Generally, U.S. troops are
— about 2,000 in all — de- Arizona's Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, front right, meets with Arizona National Guard soldiers authorized to use force in
ployed to the border over prior to their deployment to the Mexico border at the Papago Park Military Reservation on Mon- self-defense.
the past six months, includ- day, April 9, 2018, in Phoenix. Still, the large troop de-
ing providing helicopter Associated Press ployment will be limited to
support for border missions, performing similar support
installing concrete barriers before the Nov. 6 midterm "Our Military is waiting for only a couple hundred by functions as the National
and repairing and main- elections as Trump has you!" he tweeted. the time it arrived at the Guard troops Trump has al-
taining vehicles. The new sought to transform fears R. Gil Kerlikowske, Customs Tijuana-San Diego crossing. ready sent to the border.
troops will include military about the caravan and and Border Protection And despite the height- These include 1,500 flight
police, combat engineers immigration into electoral commissioner from 2014 ened rhetoric, the number hours logged by about
and helicopter companies gains. On Tuesday, he to 2017, said the military of immigrants apprehend- 600 National Guard troops
equipped with advanced stepped up his dire warn- cannot stop asylum seek- ed at the border is dramati- in Arizona since they were
technology to help detect ings, calling the band of mi- ers who show up at border cally lower than past years. deployed this spring. Mem-
people at night. grants fleeing poverty and crossings to seek protec- Border Patrol agents this bers of the guard have also
The extraordinary military violence in Central Ameri- tion, and that Border Patrol year made only a quarter repaired more than 1,000
operation comes a week ca an "invasion." agents have had no trou- of the arrests they made Border Patrol vehicles and
ble apprehending people in 2000 at the height of il- completed 1,000 hours of
who cross illegally. legal immigration, when supply and inventory, ac-
"I see it as a political stunt the agency had half of the cording to Customs and
and a waste of military re- staffing it does today. The Border Protection.
sources and waste of tax demographics have also In one case, a group of Bor-
dollars," said Kerlikowske, drastically changed, from der Patrol agents tracking
who was at the helm dur- mostly Mexican men travel- drug smugglers in the re-
ing a major surge of Cen- ing alone, to Central Ameri- mote Arizona desert in Au-
tral Americans migrants in can families with children. gust called on a National
2014. "To use active-duty Migrants arriving at the bor- Guard helicopter to keep
military and put them in der will now see a sizable an eye on the suspects
that role, I think is a huge U.S. military presence — and guide agents on the
mistake. I see it as nothing more than double the 2,000 ground until they had them
more than pandering to who are in Syria fighting the in custody. That opera-
the midterm elections by Islamic State group — even tion resulted in several ar-
the president." though their mission will be rests and the seizure of 465
Traveling mostly on foot, largely a support role. pounds of marijuana.
the caravan of some 4,000 That's because the military O'Shaughnessy said there
migrants and a much is bound by the Posse Co- were about 1,000 troops al-
smaller group of hundreds mitatus Act, a 19th- century ready in Texas and that will
more are still weeks, if not federal law that restricts grow to at least 1,800, likely
months, before reaching participation in law en- by Wednesday. The de-
the U.S. border. Thousands forcement activities. Unless ployments to Arizona and
have already dropped Congress specifically au- California will follow. All are
out, applying for refugee thorizes it, military person- going to staging bases in
status in Mexico or taking nel can't have direct con- the states, and there are
the Mexican government tact with civilians, including none at the border yet,
up on free bus rides back immigrants, said Scott R. he said. It remains unclear
home, and the group is Anderson of The Brookings why the administration was
likely to dwindle even more Institution. choosing to send active-
during the arduous journey Air Force Gen. Terrence duty troops given that they
ahead. O'Shaughnessy, head of will be limited to performing
Another smaller caravan U.S. Northern Command, the support functions the
earlier this year numbered said Tuesday that at least Guard already is doing.q