Pentagon extends mission to Mexico border through September

[webfact]

Pentagon extends mission to Mexico border through September

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Military troops prepare for deployment with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents during a large-scale operational readiness exercise at the San Ysidro port of entry with Mexico in San Diego, California, U.S., January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will extend a mission to support security along the U.S. border with Mexico through Sept. 30, the Pentagon said on Monday.

 

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan approved the extension in response to a request from the Homeland Security Department, the Pentagon said in a statement. There are about 2,350 troops assigned to the border mission.

 

The deployment had previously been authorized through Jan. 31 by former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

 

President Donald Trump ordered the deployment in October, shortly before November congressional elections, as a part of an effort to crack down on illegal immigration, as waves of thousands of migrants escaping violence in Central America trekked toward the United States.

 

Critics, including opposition Democrats in Congress but also some U.S. military veterans, have derided the troop deployment as a political stunt.

 

The Pentagon said it was "transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry."

 

It said it would continue to provide aviation support.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-15

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry."

"between" doesn't mean "continuously."

• An initial 22 miles (35 kilometers) of concertina wire was shipped to the border when the first troops began to deploy to California, Arizona and Texas a month ago. Military officials said at the time they had more than 150 miles (240 kilometers) of wire available.
• It's clear it won't be strung along every mile as it would take 13 times that amount to span the U.S.-Mexico border. The border stretches about 1,950 miles (3,138 kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean to South Texas where the Rio Grande dumps into the Gulf of Mexico.

DOES IT WORK?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released video ... showing a man cutting through wire that border agents had placed just hours before on a fence near Yuma, Arizona.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2018/11/14/video-shows-smuggler-cutting-down-wire-border/2006620002/

 

 

[farcanell]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The Pentagon said it was "transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry."

Mmm.... isn’t this exactly what Democrats are suggesting should be the way forward

[simple1]

9 hours ago, farcanell said:

Mmm.... isn’t this exactly what Democrats are suggesting should be the way forward

Not sure, but the often touted Israeli 'Wall' is mostly electrified fencing and claimed to be every effective against unauthorised people crossings. However, not effective in countering smuggling operations, believe the same scenario as the US. However, to repeat there has not been any policy announcements from trump to address the primary route of illegals, entry be air / sea on a visa then overstay which makes a mockery of his rhetoric. I noted on another thread a trump supporter going on about reintroduction of eliminated diseases into the USA by illegal migrants, for which there is no evidence and other false claims made by trump. It's mind boggling the damage trump is doing by unwinding society cohesion with his lies and misinformation yet still retains core supporters. It's as though a large minority of US voters, led by trump, find nothing to approve of in the established social order (Nihilism).