The Pentagon is pulling 1,100 active duty troops from the U.S.–Mexico border it deployed earlier this year as the government prepared for the end of asylum restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the deployment of a total of 1,500 active duty troops for a temporary 90-day mission at the border in May, when the Trump-era Title 42 border policy was lifted.
The 1,100 troops will conclude their 90-day border mission on Aug. 8.
At the time of their deployment, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the troops would not be interacting directly with immigrants, but instead doing tasks like data entry or warehouse support with the goal of freeing up Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel to be out in the field.
The Title 42 restrictions allowed U.S. officials to swiftly return illegal immigrants over the border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
In the days leading up to the lifting of Title 42, illegal border crossings were increasing. Border agents were encountering 10,000 immigrants a day and at one point had 27,000 immigrants in custody.
The rising influx of immigrants at the time may be attributable to rumors the immigrants were told that border crossings would become more difficult after the lifting of Title 42.
According to the agency, the number of apprehended illegal border crossings dropped to about 5,000 a day after the lifting of Title 42, a number that stayed relatively stable for several months.
Court Challenges
But it’s far from clear how permanent these drops are. Already the number of people crossing the Darien Gap, a key route for immigrants headed to the United States from South America, during the first seven months of the year is more than for all of 2022 combined.
On Monday, CBP agents at Tucson, Arizona, reported 10,000 apprehensions in one week, in their area alone.
The active duty military troops’ departure comes as the Biden administration’s immigration agenda faces court challenges.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar ruled that crossing the border illegally should not be a disqualifier for applying for asylum. The administration is appealing that ruling, arguing that it’s a key part of their efforts to maintain order on the border.
Separately the Department of Justice last week threatened to sue the state of Texas if it did not remove floating buoys in the Rio Grande River intended to repel illegal immigrant crossings; measures that, according to the DOJ, present a humanitarian and environmental concern.
Last month, a Florida federal court denied a request by President Joe Biden’s administration to continue releasing illegal border crossers into the United States without court dates.
The departure of the troops does not impact the additional 2,300 National Guard troops who remain at the border under federal orders, National Guard Chief Gen. Dan Hokanson said last week. The present troops’ stay will, however, not be extended as they will be replaced by their cohorts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.