Trump Sends Troops to the Border

During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said, “I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came.” Sure enough, on Wednesday, January 22, the Department of Defense announced that 1,500 active-duty troops would be sent to help secure the border.

Troops at the Border

Currently, there are around 2,500 National Guard and Reserve soldiers along the almost-2,000-mile border between the US and Mexico. For now, the military is not allowed to perform law enforcement duties such as arresting illegals, but that may change. Trump has requested that the secretary of defense and homeland security chief provide a report within 90 days letting him know if they think the Insurrection Act of 1807 should be invoked. This would allow troops to become civil law enforcement on US land. The last time this act was invoked was in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots protesting the acquittal of police officers who assaulted Rodney King.

Trump is also planning to suspend the ability to seek asylum through the southern border. A fact sheet from the White House explained: “through the exercise of his authority, President Trump has further restricted access to the provisions of the immigration laws that would enable any illegal alien involved in an invasion across the southern border of the United States to remain in the United States, such as asylum.” This is not a permanent order. Restrictions will be loosened when it is determined the “invasion at the border has ceased,” Trump said in a proclamation on his first day in office.

Cracking Down on Migrant Crime

Fox News reporters went on assignment with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in Boston as the agency started rounding up criminal aliens, including MS-13 gang members. Patricia Hyde, ERO Boston Acting Field Officer Director told Fox News, “Today was a good day. Today we took several significant public safety threats out of our communities.” She Continued:

“Unfortunately, a lot were released by sanctuary policies. But we’re here to tell the Commonwealth and the rest of the country that we’re going to find them, whether they’re released or not.”

“ICE has made more than 460 arrests of illegal immigrants, including those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs and weapons crimes,” Fox reported. These arrests took place in California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Utah. The nationals arrested came from several countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal, and Venezuela.

1. The Department of Defense is sending 1,500 active-duty troops to help secure the southern border. There are already about 2,500 National Guard and Reserve troops in place.
2. The Military isn’t normally allowed to perform law enforcement duties in the United States, but invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 would change that. Until then, the troops will help with non-policing tasks.
3. ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants who are also violent criminals since the Trump administration took over.