Trump Moves 250 Active Duty Troops to Texas Border

The Department of Defense is moving 250 active duty military personnel to the Texas border in response to the arrival of Central American migrants near Eagle Pass. The troops are being moved from assignments in Arizona.

Acting Department of Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan authorized the movement of active duty military personnel from border security assignments in Arizona previously ordered by President Donald Trump, Captain Bill Speaks, USN, told Breitbart News on Wednesday. He said the orders from the DOD secretary come “in response to migrant caravan activity currently approaching the Texas border.”

More than 1,700 Central American migrants arrived in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, this week, Breitbart News reported. Mexican government officials paid for 49 buses to move the migrants to the border.

Capt. Speaks said the deployment consists of “military police, medical personnel, and engineers who will support hardening of these (ports of entry).”

Eagle Pass is located in the U.S. Customs and Border Protections’ Del Rio Sector which has already witnessed a 330 percent increase in the apprehension of Family Unit Aliens during the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018, Breitbart News reported. The region has no physical barriers to prevent illegal border crossings.

A source within CBP told Breitbart News:

CBP continues to monitor the situation regarding several caravans migrating from Central America toward the U.S. border. We continually assess the capabilities of our facilities throughout the Southwest border and have been making – and will continue to make – necessary preparations. These include participating in operational readiness exercises and the mobilization of resources as needed to ensure the facilitation of lawful trade and travel.

The spokesman explained that since the approach of migrant caravans began in October 2018, “CBP has reinforced staffing to ensure that we are able to address any contingency, with support from interagency partners.”

On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Neilsen the illegal entry into Texas by the most recent Central American migrant caravan “will not be tolerated.” She also called on Congress to stop its “inexcusable failure to fully fund a needed physical barrier.”

During the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, President Trump chided lawmakers for the “cruel” tolerance for illegal immigration.

“Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business,” the president stated. “This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our Southern Border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all Americans.”

“Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate — it is cruel,” the president stated.