Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Pentagon has said that the Biden administration will temporarily send 1,500 additional troops to help secure the US-Mexico border.

The move is in preparation for a possible increase in illegal immigration, after the end of COVID-19 border restrictions earlier this month.

“The 90-day deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the US Border Patrol, but not carry out law enforcement duties,” said Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder, in a statement.

The force will add to an ongoing deployment of some 2,500 National Guard troops.

The Title 42 restrictions enabled US authorities to turn back non-Mexican migrants to Mexico without the opportunity to claim asylum in the United States.

While some Democrats and immigration activists also criticized the administration for toughening border security, Republicans have criticized Democrat Biden for ending more restrictive policies of Republican former President Donald Trump.

Responding to the move, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the US is a sovereign nation and that Mexico respects its decisions, while White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called such deployments “a common practice.”