[News] The United States will deploy 1,500 soldiers on its southern border before the expected arrival of a new wave of migrants

[#Steeven.™]

The US Department of Defense reported this Tuesday that it will send 1,500 soldiers to the southern border of the country before the expected arrival of a new wave of migrants.

The reinforcements will join the 2,500 members of the National Guard already deployed at the border in support of the work of border agents.

A measure adopted during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021) that gives the government the power to automatically expel undocumented migrants -known as title 42-, will expire on May 11.

It is expected that with the end of Title 42 there will be an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the US through the southern border.

 

Border patrol support
The additional military will remain at the border for 90 days to "supplement" the work of US Border Patrol agents.

A US government official said that they will not carry out any type of law enforcement work but will help with tasks such as transportation, narcotics detection, data management and warehouse support.

The Defense Department said the additional troops will fill "critical capacity gaps."

The deployment is intended to ease mounting pressure on border agents as they prepare for a sharp increase in the number of migrants at the border.

 

Numbers on the rise
The number of migrants who crossed into the US illegally during fiscal year 2021 was the highest on record since at least 1960. Last year, that number topped 2.76 million, another record.

Troy Miller, the top Border Patrol official, told Congress last month that his agency was preparing for more than 10,000 migrants to cross the border each day after Title 42 expires, more than double the daily average. in March.

Title 42 -which was implemented in early 2020, at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic-, allowed the US government to quickly expel migrants trying to cross its border with Mexico, including applicants for asylum, with the stated intent to prevent the coronavirus from spreading in the United States.

President Joe Biden's administration has unveiled a plan that would make it more difficult for migrants to apply for asylum in the country, by requiring adult applicants to use an app to schedule an appointment with US immigration officials or first apply for asylum in another country before to arrive in the US

The app, known as CBP One, launched in January and will continue regardless of what happens with Title 42.

Failure to use the app will cause migrants to lose their eligibility if they reach the border and allows for expedited deportation of undocumented individuals. The plan and the expedited deportation of some migrants, including asylum seekers, drew criticism from some human rights groups.

Last month, the White House also announced that it would establish migrant processing centers in several Latin American countries, in another effort to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States.

The centers, with initial locations in Colombia and Guatemala, will screen migrants and determine if they qualify to enter the US.

 

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-65465286