Illegal immigrants are now moving in caravans from Central America, unhindered by Mexico, toward our borders and President Trump has had enough.
The President has become increasingly vocal about the lack of progress Congress has shown in supporting one of his linchpin campaign promises – building the wall. He recently tweeted:
The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our “Weak Laws” Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!
There are strict rules that prohibit spending unauthorized by Congress but military funds to pay for building a wall is already authorized as a part of the military’s mandate to ensure national security.
The talk of using the military to seal our border moved closer to reality last week as Trump revealed he has discussed the idea of using the military in depth with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. “We are going to be guarding our border with the military,” said the President, calling the measure a “big step.”
Trump’s tweets over the past few days that call on Mexico to stop these caravans predict that they will create havoc and chaos in the U.S. with immigration reform mired in politicians failing to act decisively.
Nearly 1,200 migrants, many from Honduras, are marching towards the U.S. along roadsides and train tracks in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca currently on their way to enter the U.S. illegally to declare asylum.
Migrant caravans over the last five years began as “Stations of the Cross” around Easter with small processions of migrants protesting attacks against Central Americans and have grown into groups as large as the one approaching U.S. borders now.
Past caravans have not typically moved farther north than the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz and the current march is scheduled to end by April 31st at a conference on migration issues in the central Mexican state of Puebla. It has been the pattern for individuals to attempt to enter the U.S. after such marches.
During a meeting at the White House leaders several Baltic nations Trump said, “We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing … and never showing up for court.” He added, “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we are going to be guarding our border with our military. That’s a big step.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen briefed the President on the possibility of sending troops to the border last week.
An unnamed White House official said Trump’s reaction to Nielsen was, “Let’s kick this into overdrive, and give me a plan.” The official said there is no apparatus in place at “this minute” but that the use of the military is likely to happen.
Federal law dictates that members of the military cannot arrest immigrants, because they are not duly sworn law enforcement personnel. They can, however, offer provide border surveillance that Border Control greatly needs.
Congressional Democrats and immigration advocates were quick to rebuke Trump’s idea of using the military calling it a waste of military resources.
Representative Beto O’Rourke (Dem-TX) who represents the border city of El Paso tweeted, “It’s dangerous to service members, to U.S. citizens, and to the people of the border.”
Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, said a move to deploy military personnel would be a “tremendous boon.” He said, “It increases the certainty of apprehension of those that cross the border illegally.”
Mexico expressed opposition to the idea but was somewhat guarded in the wording of that opposition. Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray of Mexico tweeted:
Mexico has asked the U.S., through official channels, to clarify the announcement by @POTUS about the use of the army on the border … The Mexican government will define its reaction on the basis of that clarification, and always in defense of our sovereignty and national interests.
President Trump is intensifying his calls for NAFTA to be totally restructured or eliminated and now shown interest in cutting off foreign aid to Honduras as the caravan headed toward our barriers mostly comes from that country.
In spite of its early defiance of Trump’s stance on illegals, the Mexican government is running scared of the president’s very real threats. They immediately took steps to disrupt the caravan. Some migrants are being registered by Mexico’s Interior Ministry and offered humanitarian assistance and others are being deported to their country of origin.
~ American Liberty Report
