U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration will temporarily send 1,500 additional troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in preparation for a possible rise in illegal immigration when COVID-19 border restrictions are lifted later this month.
The 90-day deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the U.S. Border Patrol but not carry out law enforcement duties, Pentagon spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. They will conduct ground-based monitoring, data entry and warehouse support to free up border agents and “fill critical capability gaps,” Ryder said.
The force will be in addition to an ongoing deployment