Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan confirmed Monday that 5,200 troops are headed to the border. He also warned migrants marching north through Mexico in two separate caravans, “We will not allow a large group to enter the United States in an unsafe or unlawful manner.”
Speaking during a news briefing at the Department of Defense, McAleenan (pictured above left) said, “Our message for the organizers and participants of this caravan is simple. We will not allow a large group to enter the United States in an unsafe or unlawful manner.”
Noting that large numbers of the estimated 7,000 marchers forced their way into Mexico from Guatemala and some engaged in violent confrontations with Mexican and Guatemalan troops, McAleenan warned that, “For those who seek to cross the border illegally, we will apprehend them and fully enforce the laws of the United States.”
The CBP chief added that, “For the two large groups we’re tracking, we’ve already seen them make unlawful passage across two borders and the second, in Guatemala, has engaged in violence against Guatemalan and Mexican border security teams.”
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McAleenan also repeated warnings given Sunday by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that asylum seekers are required by international law to seek asylum in the first safe country they enter, which would be Mexico in the present situation.
“For those who seek to make an asylum claim safely and lawfully at a port of entry, the government of Mexico has already offered you protection and employment authorization,” McAleenan said. An estimated 700 of the original marchers have accepted the Mexican offers.
“If you are fleeing alleged persecution at home, you have arrived at a safe place to make you claim. If you are an economic migrant seeking to joining family members in the United States, you should return home and apply for the appropriate visa.”
“What is new and challenging about this caravan phenomenon is the formation of multiple large groups that present unique safety and border security threats,” McAleenan said.
President Donald Trump has already started to deploy U.S. troops along the southern border to support CBP officials and some 2,000 National Guard troops dispatched earlier to the border.
McAleenan said CBP has been working with the military to create contingency plans for large groups of migrants expected to begin arriving at the border within the next several weeks.
Operation Secure Line was launched after two weeks of preparations Sunday to establish 26 secure crossing points along the border, using more than 1,000 CPB officers and a 100 specialty unit teams. There are also 250 tactical force officers available and prepared for possible riots.
“That is just the start of this operation. We will continue to adjust those numbers and inform you of those. But please know that this is in addition to the 2,092 [troops] that are already deployed.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command General Terrence John O’Shaughnessy (pictured above right) joined McAleenan at the briefing and provided additional details about what troops will be doing. They will be in a support role since federal statutes bar the military from enforcing civilian law.
Related: Trump Reportedly Sending 5,000 U.S. Troops to Border with Mexico
“By the end of this week, we will have deployed over 5,200 to the southwest border,” O’Shaughnessy said. “That is just the start of this operation. We will continue to adjust those numbers and inform you of those. But please know that this is in addition to the 2,092 that are already deployed from our National Guard units in Operation Guardian Support.”
The new support comes with significant advantages that will include aircraft to ensure faster travel and the ability to allocate resources more effectively for CBP agents.
O’Shaughnessy said troops that normally carry firearms will continue to do so even though they are deployed in a support role.
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