US sends 1,500 more soldiers to Mexico border as controversial deportation rule expires | Abroad

After the ‘Title 42’ provision expires on May 11, the US fears an influx of immigrants at the border. The emergency measure, implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, has so far made it possible to immediately deport most migrants who enter the country illegally at the border with Mexico.

The measure predates President Donald Trump’s administration and allows authorities to deport millions of immigrants who cross the border illegally. For example, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The US government has now announced that 1,500 soldiers will be stationed at the border in principle for ninety days. They will assist with customs there. About 2,500 National Guard troops, a kind of reserve army, are already stationed at the border to assist customs.

“Military personnel will not participate directly in law enforcement and will not have any contact with migrants,” US officials said. Above all, sending soldiers should ensure that border guards spend more time on the ground.

Customs expects 10,000 migrants to cross the Mexican border each day when the emergency action ends. This is more than twice the March average. In the past month, the number of border crossings in the southern United States has already increased sharply.

The US government is trying to resolve the tense situation along the Mexican border. A few days ago, officials announced that they would move the registrations of asylum seekers from Central and South America abroad and open registration centers in Colombia and Guatemala.

When asked for a response, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the United States is a sovereign country and Mexico respects its neighbor’s decisions.

See more. Video footage circulating after deadly fire at Mexican immigrant shelter: “Guards saw smoke, but fled”