US military deployment near border increases

The US military has announced that it will deploy 1,500 soldiers to the border with Mexico to fill “critical capability gaps” due to personnel shortfalls at the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP). The troops will arrive by May 10, and will be active-duty troops from the Army and Marine Corps. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre argued the deployment was “a common practice” and stressed that military personnel will not be “interacting with immigrants or migrants.” Biden issued an executive order authorizing the use of reserve troops to combat the international drug trade in 2021.