A U.S. Border Patrol agent died this morning as a result of injuries sustained while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector.
Agent Rogelio Martinez and his Big Bend Sector partner were responding to activity while on patrol near Interstate 10, in the Van Horn Station area. Agent Martinez’s partner reported that they were both injured and in need of assistance. Responding agents provided immediate medical care, and transported both agents to a local hospital.
Big Bend Sector was later told that Agent Martinez expired from his injuries. His partner remains in the local hospital in serious condition.
Border Patrol agents from Big Bend Sector and the Culberson County Sheriff’s Department secured the scene. The Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group and agents from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations are searching the area for potential suspects or witnesses.
The Culberson County Sheriff’s Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Inspector General, and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Agent Martinez and his family, and with the agent who was injured.
October 30th, 2018, 23:13
vector7
Re: Our Escalating Border War
Trump sends 5,200 troops backed 150 miles of razor wire and Blackhawks, drones and C-130s in the air to the Mexican border to 'deter' caravan from ever arriving - as agents rehearse for riots in El Paso
President Donald Trump has called for the troops to deter what he calls an 'invasion'
The president claimed the caravan contained 'many Gang Members' and 'some very bad people'
Last week he said it included 'Middle Easterners' but admitted he had no proof of his claim
Three helicopter companies and three engineering battalions to participate
Enhanced optics, fencing, 'hardening' of the border
The caravan is making its way through Mexico, though numbers have dropped to about 4,000
The Pentagon is planning to send 5,000 troops, including military police, engineers, and Marines
Four Blackhawks, C-130s and a c-17 transports, unmanned vehicles
Trump called the caravan an 'invasion,' warning: 'our Military is waiting for you!'
The Pentagon is dispatching 5,200 active military troops to 'harden' the southern border and comply with President Donald Trump's order to deter an immigrant caravan the president called an 'invasion', it said Monday.
Eight hundred troops were already en route Monday – a force the Defense Department is dramatically increasing by adding helicopter companies and engineers who are bringing 'heavy equipment.'
In total DOD is sending 5,200 troops to 'harden' the border, the Pentagon said at a briefing Monday.
US riot police officers take part in a border security drill at the US-Mexico international bridge, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on October 29, 2018. The Pentagon is sending 5,200 troops to the southern border
US riot police officers take part in a border security drill at the US-Mexico international bridge, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on October 29, 2018. - Dozens of migrants get to the border crossing linking El Paso, texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, every day, ahead of a caravan of Central Americans seeking political asylum in the United States
Dozens of migrants get to the border crossing linking El Paso, texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, every day, ahead of a caravan of Central Americans seeking political asylum
Right on the border: An agent foes as far as he legally can on the International Bridge between El Paso and Cuidad Juarez as his unit trains for possible riot deployment
Waiting to get in: At the Paso del Norte International Bridge between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso migrants are lined up already - even though the caravan is more than 1,000 miles to the south
Head-on: This is the tip of the Customs Border Patrol spearhead - two armed agents waiting at the midpoint of the bridge which links El Paso in the north to Ciudad Juarez to the south
Caravan on its way: Honduran migrants taking part in the caravan heading to the U.S. resume their march from San Pedro Tapanatepec to Santiago Niltepec, Oaxaca State, more than 1,000 miles from the border
'We'll reinforce along priority points of entry so as to enhance [Border Patrol]’s ability to harden and secure the border,” said Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy Monday.
The forces are 'just the start' of the operation,' he said.
The 800 troops en route are in addition to the more than 2,000 members of the National Guard already providing assistance at the border now. Officials say the troops will provide "mission enhancing capabilities" and will be armed.
'We are bringing three helicopter companies in. They are enhanced with optics and censors that will allow them to operate at night and provide assistance to bring our [border patrol] personnel exactly where they need to be regardless of the conditions,' he said.
The Pentagon says the added forces will be able to 'spot, identify groups and rapidly deploy' personnel as need.
'The helicopters will ensure the agents can arrive in the most austere locations and fast-rope down and conduct and work the law enforcement activities,' said Gen. O'Shaughnessy.
Unmanned aerial drones also will assist the effort
Asked if the troops were a 'political move' just days before an election as the size of the caravan has receded, he responded: 'We have to be prepared for I the potential arrival of a very large group.'
Troops will come from Fort Bragg, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Stewart, Fort Campbell, Fort Riley and Fort Knox, Fox News reported.
The armed troops won't take part in law enforcement activities in keeping with the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits it.
'We will not allow a large group to enter the United States in an unsafe and unlawful manner,' said Kevin K. McAleenan, head of Customs and Border Protection.
Speaking of the arsenal being brought to assist border agents, guard forces, and troops, McAleenan said: 'These agents will be augmented and supported by over two dozen CBP air assets for surveillance and mobile response, including four Blackhawks and six additional helicopters as well as multiple fixed wing assets and unmanned aerial systems.'
He said the agency would potentially pull a 'few hundred' forces from the northern border since there is no caravan there.
Members of the Arizona National Guard listen to instructions on April 9, 2018, at the Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. The Pentagon is now sending 5,200 active duty troops to assist 2,000 guard and thousands of border patrol agents already on the U.S.-Mexico border
'Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border,' Trump wrote as it was revealed the military was dispatching 5,000 troops to the border
The dramatic dispatch of U.S. forces to the border comes just days before the off-year elections, with Democratic critics arguing Trump is using the perceived threat of the caravan to motivate his political base.
According to the Pentagon forces will first build up in southern Texas and Arizona, then California.
Priority will go to 'harden' points of entry.
The engineering battalions have expertise in 'building temporary vehicle barriers, fencing and are bringing in heavy equipment,' according to the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump issued yet another dire warning about the 'invasion' posed by the migrant caravan making its way through Mexico, as it was revealed that the Pentagon is upping its troop levels far above the initial 800 announced.
TheWall Street Journal reported earlier Monday on the dramatic troop increase complying with the president's demand that military forces be put in place to stop the caravan of Central American migrants.
'Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border,' Trump wrote on twitter, moving away from last week's claim that the caravan contained 'Middle Easterners.'
Trump's earlier claim drew skepticism, and he was forced days later to back down. 'There's no proof of anything. There's no proof of anything. But there could very well be,' Trump said.
Trump spoke directly to the mostly Honduran members of the caravan in the tweet, saying: 'Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!'
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Mattis said on Sunday that military equipment is already moving to the southern US border. Pictured above are mounted border patrol agents at a newly constructed section of border wall in California on Friday
Aerial view of Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the US, as they leave Arriaga on their way to San Pedro Tapanatepec, in southern Mexico on Saturday. The caravan now numbers about 4,000.
American military equipment has already begun arriving at the southern border ahead of an imminent troop deployment to block the migrant caravan, while in Mexico tensions have broken out with migrants attacking a local man who was distributing food.
Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sunday military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with plans to deploy active duty troops.
According to the Journal, the 5,000 troops will join the 2,000 National Guard members already dispatched.
Among those ordered to the border will be military police, engineers, and Marines.
The latest plans would have the Defense Department order 1,800 troops to Texas, 1,700 to Arizona, and 1,500 to California.
The report noted that the contingent would exceed the U.S. forces currently in Syria and Iraq, and equal half of the U.S. deployment in Afghanistan.
The new forces are expected to provide logistical assistance such as air support and equipment, including vehicles and tents.
The influx of troops comes as the caravan is shrinking, although another is being formed.
The caravan, which has had as many as 7,200 migrants, has dwindled to roughly 4,000. It took a day of rest in Tapanatepec on Sunday but vowed to press on to the U.S. border. The border is still at least 900 miles away, a daunting obstacle to migrants, many traveling with their families on foot.
Migrant Caravan: U.S. Military Will Have Up to 14,000 Troops, Many Armed, Ready to Intervene at Mexico Border
By James LaPorta and Tom O'Connor On 10/29/18 at 5:58 PM
US-Bound Migrant Caravan Swells To 7,000 Despite Trump's Threat To Stop Them
The U.S. military will have an actual force of up to 14,000 ready to intervene at the southern border with Mexico, including an additional 7,000 planned deployment in reserves on round-the-clock standby.
The Pentagon announced Monday that it will send up to 5,200 troops to the border ahead of the anticipated arrival of a caravan of Central American migrants that President Donald Trump has warned would not be able to enter the country. These troops, which "are in fact deploying with weapons" will join up to 2,000 National Guards already at the border for a combined force of about 7,200—or about the same amount of U.S. soldiers involved in the battle against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
In addition, a U.S. Defense Department official with knowledge of the deployment—known officially as Operation Faithful Patriot—told Newsweek that "the units deployed right now are of actual strength between 5,000 and 7,000. With another 7,000 on standby on 24-hour notice."
https://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.new...-943900492.jpg
Members of the Arizona National Guard take a break on April 9, 2018 at the Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. In total, up to 14,000 U.S. military personnel may stand ready to intervene at the southern border with Mexico. CAITLIN O'HARA/AFP/Getty Images
Newsweek reviewed the operational documents for Operation Faithful Patriot. The documents are marked, “UNCLASSIFIED, FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY, LES,” meaning, law enforcement sensitive. Defense Secretary James Mattis and combatant commanders have authorized U.S. troops heading to the border to carry live ammunition, according to the documents obtained by Newsweek.
A detailed list of reserve forces included basic infantry aviation units as well as military dogs and linguistics personnel.
On October 13, a group of asylum seekers departed the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and has since reached Tapanatepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. From a peak of about 7,000 people last week, the estimated number of migrants was more recently placed at 3,500. In addition, however, at least two other smaller caravans from Honduras and El Salvador have set out to join the main group.
El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras—sometimes dubbed the Northern Triangle—have been plagued by high homicide rates and difficult economic conditions. In the 1980s and beyond, the U.S. military used Honduras as a base to support anti-communist actions in neighboring El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, in part fueling civil wars that destabilized Central America.
President Donald Trump, however, has vowed to take a hard-line stance against undocumented immigration and has claimed that "many gang members" and "unknown Middle Easterners" were among the asylum seekers, though he has not provided evidence for this claim. He has warned the incoming group that the "military is waiting" should they arrive at the border.
Fort Bragg soldiers, equipment and resources are being deployed to the southwest border to support Homeland Security efforts, officials told the Fayetteville Observer.
A spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps confirmed Tuesday that local troops were part of the more than 5,000 active duty forces who began deploying on Monday and who are expected along the border by the end of the week.
The spokesman did not comment on the specific number of troops from Fort Bragg or the individual units that would be involved in the effort.
Once deployed, local troops would fall under U.S. Northern Command and will support officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officials have previously said the deployed troops will not perform border patrol or law enforcement missions. Instead, the mission dubbed Operation Faithful Patriot will include a range of support that includes planning assistance, engineering, fixed and rotary wing aviation, medical teams, command and control facilities, temporary housing for CBP personnel and personal protective equipment for CBP personnel.
The troops could be called on to erect temporary barriers, barricades and fencing, officials said. And they will supplement 2,100 National Guard troops already deployed to the border under Operation Guardian Support.
On Monday, Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, said the active-duty troops would work with the Department of Homeland Security “to harden the southern border.”
Troops are being deployed from military installations across the nation and will stage in California, Texas and Arizona, he said.
“By the end of this week, we will deploy over 5,200 soldiers to the southwest border,” O’Shaughnessy said. “That is just the start of this operation. We’ll continue to adjust the numbers.”
Speaking in Washington alongside Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, O’Shaughnessy said the deploying forces will include three combat engineering battalions, three medium-lift helicopter companies, military police and medical units.
McAleenan said the additional support would help prepare border officials for two large groups of migrants approaching the southern border.
One group has approximately 3,500 members and is currently in southern Mexico. The second, with approximately 3,000 migrants made up of families and unaccompanied children, is currently at a border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico.
“We are preparing for the contingency of a large group of arriving persons intending to enter the United States in the next several weeks,” McAleenan said.
He said officials will not allow a large group to enter the United States “in an unsafe and unlawful manner.”
“For those that seek to cross the border illegally, we will apprehend them and fully enforce the laws of the United States,” he said. “For those that 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.”
“If you are fleeing alleged persecution at home, you have arrived at a safe place to make your claim,” McAleenan added. “If you’re an economic migrant seeking to join family members in the United States, you should return home and apply for the appropriate visa.”
The U.S. Border Patrol this week reportedly told Texas landowners along the U.S.-Mexico border to prepare for a possible influx of “armed civilians” on their property as the migrant caravan moves closer to the U.S., a report said.
The Associated Press reported that these civilians say they intend to support the National Guard and Border Patrol to prevent the illegal migrants from crossing into the U.S.
Three activists told the AP they were going to the border or organizing others, and groups on Facebook have posted warnings about the caravan. One said it was “imperative that we have boots on the ground.” Another wrote: “WAR! SECURE THE BORDER NOW!”
Shannon McGauley, president of the Texas Minuteman militia, told the AP that he already has members at three points of the state’s border and expects 25 to 100 more people to arrive in the coming days.
Militia members and volunteers patrolling the border is a practice that has been in place for decades. Usually, the civilians patrol the border and look out for illegal border crossers. Once they spot a trespasser, the civilians usually contact the Border Patrol to apprehend them.
People from other states have raised money to assist the militias with supplies and equipment. The militias are expected to bring guns and tactical gear, such as bulletproof vests.
Marianna Trevino Wright, a South Texas resident, told the Yucatan Times that she is concerned about the arrival of militias.
“We go about our business here every day in a peaceful manner,” she told the paper. “The idea that we could be invaded not by illegal immigrants but by militia groups … is regrettable, and it will end badly.”
The caravan is currently about 1,000 miles south of the border and estimated to be more than a week from arriving there.
Trump spoke to “The Ingraham Angle” hours after the Pentagon announced it would deploy troops to the southern border in what the commander of U.S. Northern Command described as an effort to “harden the southern border” by stiffening defenses at and near legal entry points.
“When they are captured, we don’t let them out,” Trump told host Laura Ingraham. “We’re not letting them out … We’re not catching, we’re not releasing. … We’re not letting them into this country.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates as more information becomes available.
President Trump is prepared to send thousands more U.S. troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, and up to 15,000 troops could deploy, he said.
The President spoke briefly to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday where he said “we’ll go up to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border,” the Associated Press reported.
JUST IN: Days before midterms, Pres. Trump says military’s border mission could increase to 15,000 troops.
“As far as the caravan is concerned, our military is out. We have about 5,000…we’ll do up to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel.” https://t.co/a5rqJgAZlm pic.twitter.com/ckn3iSdJ2T
— ABC News (@ABC) October 31, 2018
Such a number of troops is comparable to the number of troops currently deployed to Afghanistan.
President Trump called the U.S.-bound migrant caravan heading through Mexico “very dangerous.”
In Q&A before leaving WH, Pres called the migrant caravans “very dangerous.” He said there’s 5,800 troops on the border now and the number could be increased to between 10 and 15 thousand. “We’re not allowing people to come in,” he said of the caravans. pic.twitter.com/KOWqnsZXCe
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 31, 2018
There are approximately 5,800 troops currently at the border in preparation to block the migrant caravan’s attempts to enter the U.S.
The caravan is comprised of an estimated 7,000 migrants mostly from Honduras. It is currently about 1,000 miles from the border.
“We’re not allowing people to come in,” President Trump said.
Here’s Trump’s full answer he just gave to reporters on the WH lawn, where he suddenly dropped that there could be up to 15,000 troops deployed to the border, says he’s “not fear mongering at all” followed by “they’ll be here fast, They’re trying to get up any way they can.” pic.twitter.com/tCTqOvDj9y
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) October 31, 2018
Some have criticized the measure of deploying troops, calling it a “stunt.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis pushed back against the notion on Wednesday, telling reporters at the Pentagon, “We don’t do stunts in this department.”
Earlier this month, Trump warned that he would “call up” the U.S. military to close the U.S.-Mexico border if the migrant caravan was not stopped.
“In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught – and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!” he tweeted at the time.
….In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught – and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018
Raw video: Defense Secretary Mattis responds to reporter questioning if the deployment of troops to the southern border is a political stunt.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphatically denied a reporter's suggestion Wednesday that the deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border is part of a political stunt ahead of next week's midterm elections.
"We don't do stunts in this department. Thank you," Mattis told a reporter who posed the question after a Pentagon meeting with Mattis' South Korean counterpart. The defense secretary added the deployment was to provide "practical support" to the Department of Homeland Security and was based on a request from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The deployment is in response to the approach of a caravan containing an estimated 4,000 Central American migrants. The Pentagon said late Wednesday that it had identified 7,000 who will be participating in the mission at the border.
Approximately 2,000 National Guard members previously have been dispatched to the frontier over the past six months.
The White House repeatedly has warned members of the caravan that they will not be allowed into the United States. In an interview with Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" Monday night, President Trump vowed that the migrants "are not coming in" and said the administration would build "tent cities" to house asylum-seekers.
"We're going to have tents, they're going to be very nice and they're going to wait and if they don't get asylum, they get out," the president said.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters at the White House that "anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel" could be sent to the border, "on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border."
Federal law prohibits the military from acting as a domestic police force, which means the troops going to the border cannot detain immigrants, seize drugs from smugglers or have any direct involvement in stopping the caravan. Instead, their role largely will mirror that of the existing National Guard troops, including providing helicopter support for border missions, installing concrete barriers and repairing and maintaining vehicles.
The new troops are set to include military police, combat engineers and helicopter companies equipped with advanced technology to help detect people at night.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A video released on Facebook shows some in a new migrant caravan hurling rocks at a Mexican helicopter at the Guatemala-Mexico border Sunday.
Reuters reports that migrants clashed with police when a group breached a gate, and that one person was killed. Guatemalan officials said the migrants threw rocks and glass bottles at police officers.
The video from Sunday, by Facebook user Chuy Saldana, shows young men throwing rocks at the helicopter circling above. One of the migrants also seemed to be carrying what appeared to be an unlit Molotov cocktail on the bridge that connects Mexico and Guatemala.
The Daily Caller reached out to Saldana for comment on the video. Saldana told The Caller, “It was recorded on Sunday, October 28, as at 5:30 in the afternoon. This was on the border of Mexico and Guatemala I recorded that piece of video in a live broadcast.”
WATCH:
Duration Time 1:07
The group behaving violently were part of 300 Salvadorans who left the nation’s capital of San Salvador on Sunday, according to Reuters. The report details how law enforcement is struggling to deal with the new group. According to Reuters:
A third group broke through a gate at the Guatemala border with Mexico in Tecun Uman on Sunday, and clashed with police. Local first responders said that security forces used rubber bullets against the migrants, and that one person, Honduran Henry Adalid, 26, was killed.
Six police officers were injured, said Beatriz Marroquin, the director of health for the Retalhuleu region.
Mexico’s Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete told reporters on Sunday evening that federal police did not have any weapons, even to fire plastic bullets.
He said that some of the migrants had guns while others had Molotov cocktails, and this information had been passed on to other Central American governments.
Guatemala’s government said in a statement that it regrets that the migrants didn’t take the opportunity of dialogue and instead threw stones and glass bottles at police.
Thousands more Central American migrants are ahead of this group in another caravan that is currently traveling through Mexico on the way to the U.S. border.
Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins reported Tuesday that the caravan was being chartered to the U.S. border by tour buses. (RELATED: New Images Show Exactly How Massive The Migrant Caravan Is)
“We’ve seen the 5,000-strong caravan walking to the border, but now they’re waiting for a ride to the border,” he said. “This is the first time I have seen an organized bus operation from the state of Oaxaca actually getting volunteer buses to put people … on them and take them to their next location.”
Getty Images has previously shown the migrant caravan traveling by raft and flatbed truck.
President Donald Trump has made the migrant caravans a key talking point of the 2018 midterm elections. Trump has also dispatched thousands of armed U.S. military members to the southern border that will be authorized to shoot migrants throwing rocks, according to the President’s comments Thursday.
President Donald Trump warned would-be illegal immigrants advancing toward the U.S.-Mexico border that if they threw rocks at U.S. law enforcement or military it would be considered the same as firing on them, in a Thursday afternoon speech.
“Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico, we will consider that a firearm,” Trump said, noting that some migrants have been violent while attempting to cross the Mexican-Guatemalan border.
These migrants threw rocks at members of Mexican law enforcement, injuring some of their authorities in an attempt to continue through towards the U.S. to claim asylum. The president has been incensed by the advancing caravan which has swelled to nearly 6,000 people, largely citizens of Central America.
The Trump administration is concerned because current U.S. law requires a lengthy asylum adjudication process and believes many migrants are using loopholes in U.S. law to illegally immigrate. Trump announced that he will issue an executive order to force asylum seekers to only enter at legal ports of entry, allowing for orderly processing.
Trump continued of any rock throwing “we will consider it, the maximum that we can consider that…We’re not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back….I told them to consider it a rifle.”
US troops at the US-Mexico border are laying down approximately 1,000 feet of razor wire fending along the Texas side of the Rio Grande river underneath the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge, as three separate caravans of Central Americans make their way north in the hopes of claiming asylum.
Soldiers participating in "Operation Faithful Patriot" are working with US Customs and Border Patrol officers to install the fending, according to the Department of Defense.
During a Saturday campaign rally in Montana, President Trump said "Mexico is trying, they are trying but we’re different, we have our military on the border," adding "And I noticed all that beautiful barbed wire going up today. Barbed wire, used properly, can be a beautiful sight."
WATCH: The U.S. military is installing a barbed wire fence near the Hidalgo–Reynosa International Bridge on the US-Mexico border. pic.twitter.com/bYvjPAgL6F
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 3, 2018
Troop arrivals
Around 900 troops have arrived at the US-Mexico border since the Trump administration announced the deployment on October 26.
The president vowed the forces would block the caravans, which contain thousands of migrants, from entering US turf.
Military units are heading to outposts along the border from Texas to California.
After saying about 5,000 active-duty troops would be deployed as part of Operation Faithful Patriot, Trump on Wednesday boosted the number from 10,000 to 15,000.
A separate contingent of about 2,100 National Guard troops had already been deployed to work with Border Patrol in anticipation of the caravans, which have about 7,000 people total, according to the Defense Department. -NY Post
The original caravan continued on foot Saturday after Mexico rescinded an offer to bus them to Mexico City, citing a lack of water. They are currently making their way through the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, and are around 750 miles from the US border. The caravan's numbers have dropped from 7,000 to around 4,000 over the last few weeks, while around 3,000 have applied for asylum in Mexico and others haver returned home.
On Friday night, Veracruz governor Miguel Ángel Yunes offered bus rides to the country's capital, however he quickly rescinded the offer, blaming maintenance work on Mexico City's water supply which he said left 7 million people without water over the weekend.
Mexican officials, meanwhile, have ceased to provide bus, truck and van rides to the group.
A second caravan of around 1,000 to 1,500 people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador entered Mexico last week and is around 1,000 miles from the southern US border, while a much smaller caravan also entered Mexico from Guatemala on Friday - wading across the Suchiate River after Mexican authorities blocked access over a bridge.
On Thursday, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) released an updated list of the military units who are being sent to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the migrant caravans that are making their way through Central America.
“There are currently more than 5,600 personnel deployed in support of Customs and Border Protection,” their statement read. “The number will fluctuate as more units and personnel deploy into the operating area. DOD anticipates more than 7,000 active duty troops will be supporting CBP.”
Reinforcing the Department of Defense’s point on the units being sent in support of the Department of Homeland Security, the deployment mostly includes public affairs units, medical staff, engineers, and aviation elements to help transport CBP.
“A revised listing of deploying units is below, with the actual unit deployed listed first and the parent unit from which units deployed from listed second,” the statement explained.
“DOD has a long history of support for DHS and CBP in their mission to secure the U.S. border,” the statement added. “All units supporting USNORTHCOM's mission to support CBP will adhere to authorities, law and policy.”
President Donald Trump caused a stir and many questions on the use of force after he said if rocks are thrown at U.S. service members, they will consider it a firearm.
In terms of who will be armed during the deployment, Col. Robert Manning, Director of the Defense Press Office told reporters on Monday the only military personnel who will be armed are the military police units that are there for force protection as the troops work on reinforcing the border.
“Self-defense is an inherent right of a soldier,” Manning further clarified, saying the soldiers are trained on “weapons control” and use of force.
Manning added there is no plan for DOD personnel to interact with the migrants.
Here is the full list:
Fort Bliss, Texas
o Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment, 93rd Military Police Battalion
o 24th Press Camp Headquarters, 1st Armored Division
o 47th Heavy Composite Truck Company
o 202nd Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion
o 212th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion
o 591st Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion
o Contingency Contracting Teams
o Contracting Support Brigade Commander
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
o 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division
o 51st Medical Logistics Company
o 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne)
o 172nd Preventive Medicine Unit
o 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion
o 329th Movement Control Team
o 403rd Inland Cargo Transfer Company
o 602nd Area Support Medical Company
o Headquarters & Headquarters Command, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command
o Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 16th Military Police Brigade
o Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment, 503rd Military Police Battalion
o 248th Veterinary Service Support unit
o 690th Medical Company (Ground Ambulance)
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
o 74th Light Composite Transportation Company
o 372nd Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade
o 227th Quartermaster Composite Supply Company
o 632nd Movement Control Team
o 887th Engineer Support Company, 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade
Ami Horowitz journeys to Mexico to find out the real reason why there is a caravan of migrants on its way to the United States’ border with its southern neighbor.
ould the Active Denial System be the answer for possible border problems? Conservative commentator Glenn Beck thinks so. You may not have heard of the ADS, which has been a topic of debate for over a decade now. The non-lethal deterrent system been labeled by both military personnel and press alike as a “pain ray” — which, I suppose, is a catchier way to refer to it than ADS.
The U.K. Telegraph, describing the system back in 2010, said that military officials described it as a “non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel weapon.”
“Compared with most military vehicles, the device looks relatively harmless — like one of the broadcasting trucks you see outside big sporting events: an anonymous-looking military transport with what appears to be a square satellite dish mounted on top. But it contains an extraordinary new weapon, capable of causing immense discomfort from half a mile away without – its makers claim – doing any lasting damage,” the newspaper reported.
“The ADS works by projecting a focused beam of 3.2mm wave electromagnetic radiation at a human target. This heats the water and fat molecules on the skin, causing their temperature to rise by up to 50C (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
“Philip Sherwell, a Sunday Telegraph reporter who tried out the ADS in 2007, describes it as ‘unbearably uncomfortable, like opening a roasting hot oven door.’ The immediate instinct is to escape the beam and seek cover — at which point the effect subsides.”
A Pentagon is description is less dramatic, but just as persuasive.
“The Active Denial System is needed because it’s the first non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel system with an extended range greater than currently fielded non-lethal weapons,” a FAQ from the Pentagon reads.
“Most counter-personnel non-lethal weapons use kinetic energy (rubber rounds, bean bags, etc.). A kinetic-based system has a higher risk of human injury, and its effectiveness varies in relation to the size, age and gender of the target. The Active Denial System, however, is consistently effective regardless of size, age and gender and has a range greater than small-arms range. The Active Denial System will provide military personnel with a non-lethal weapon that has the same effect on all human targets.”
The system can hit targets at 700 yards. That’s impressive, but even more so is how the military says it could be deployed.
“The Active Denial System will support a full spectrum of operations ranging from non-lethal methods of crowd control, crowd dispersal, convoy and patrol protection, checkpoint security, perimeter security, area denial, and port protection, as well as other defensive and offensive operations from both fixed-site or mobile platforms,” the FAQ states.
That means that it could be used in the event of a large group of people trying to force their way over the border — something that’s always a concern when it comes to caravans. And, as you can see above, this is basically a high-energy invisible wall.
So, could this be a tool used for caravans or similar situations involving border incursions?
The Telegraph notes that it can produce second- and third-degree burns if not used correctly and that weather conditions like rain, snow and fog can limit how effective it is. Also, reflective surfaces can limit its efficacy, meaning there are ways to beat it.
However, if you’re looking to mitigate the possible danger from large masses of people trying to make a run on the border — always a possibility with caravans — the ADS could just be the future of dealing with such threats.
What started as a peaceful march in Tijuana Sunday turned tense as hundreds of anti-caravan protesters marched to a shelter where Honduran migrants were staying.
Protesters threw beer cans at riot police who blocked their entrance to the shelter as the crowd shouted, “Hondurans get out, we don’t want you here,” around noon in Tijuana’s Zona Norte.
Organizers said the event, which began around 9 a.m., was not necessarily anti-migrant but anti-invasion.
“Legal migration, yes — illegal invasions, no,” said organizer Fidel Ernesto Gonzalez Hernandez. “That is our message.”
More than 1,000 demonstrators showed up. Many wore Mexican soccer jerseys, waved Mexican flags, and sang the Mexican anthem.
Children carried signs that read, “Mexico first,” and “No more caravans.”
The demonstrators’ main gripe with the Central American caravan is that the migrants are undocumented, therefore residents do not know how many members of the caravan have criminal records and may pose a threat.
“I’m not of the opinion that all of them should leave,” said Tijuana resident Veronica Esquivel, 45. “I think that the criminals should be deported, and the ones who want to stay or go to the United States should do so legally.”
Protesters also accused some of the migrants of smoking marijuana, trashing the streets of Tijuana and not being appreciative of the city’s generosity.
“They are entitled, they even complain about the food,” said Javier Alvarez, 48, of Tijuana.
On Friday, Mexico’s National Migration Institute reported that 2,679 migrants had arrived in Tijuana and 1,500 more were already in Mexicali and planned to go to Tijuana.
Customs and Border Protection closed several vehicle lanes of the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry. Military personnel set up barriers and barbed wire along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Also on Friday, Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum said the city isn’t in a position to handle the influx of migrants, which could reach up to 10,000, according to estimates from the Mexican government. Gastelum also criticized the migrants’ behavior.
“Supposedly they are fleeing catastrophe, mistreatment in their countries of origin,” he said. “How is it possible that they arrive here and, if they want, create disorder?”
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said via Twitter that the situation in Tijuana is already getting out of hand.
“The Mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, just stated that “the City is ill-prepared to handle this many migrants, the backlog could last 6 months,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning. “Likewise, the U.S. is ill-prepared for this invasion, and will not stand for it. They are causing crime and big problems in Mexico. Go home!”
Anti-caravan demonstrators said the situation is tense and they worry that President Trump might close the border.
“If they close the border because of what the migrants are doing this will become a big problem,” said Alvarez. “It’s going to be chaos.”
Many people who live in Tijuana work in San Diego and vice versa. Therefore closing the border would have drastic economic consequences, said Alejandra Garcia, 52, of Tijuana.
“I’m scared and worried,” she said. “What will happen to Tijuana if they close the border like Trump threatened to?”
The protesters also criticized the government’s response to the migrant caravan, saying the Mexican government is doing too much and too little.
Too much because more than 53 million people live in poverty in Mexico and resources should be spent on Mexicans, not migrants.
Too little because the government’s response has been disorganized and ineffective.
“Why doesn’t our government set up a tent city outside Tijuana where they can provide food, shelter, and water to the migrants,” said Rafael Lario Juarez, 63, of Tijuana.
The group marched from Tijuana’s Zona Rio to the makeshift shelter in a sports complex near the border about 11 a.m.
The original plan was to finish the march outside a government building. But protesters decided to head to the shelter where a couple thousand migrants are staying.
Gonzalez, one of the march organizers, tried to stop the crowd to no avail.
“The march ends here!” he shouted at the marchers. “Don’t go to the shelter, that’s a provocation.”
Men and women carrying signs and Mexican flags walked by Gonzalez. Some shouted back, “Shut up, we’re going to the shelters.”
At the shelter, the marchers were met with police barricades. Although some threw beer cans and tried to rush the police barricade, the march did not turn violent.
Those staying at the shelter were not allowed to leave because of the anti-caravan march.
“Everyone here is nervous because of those people,” said James Pena, 30, of Honduras. “There are a lot of women and children here.”
Pena said this is the first time since he joined the caravan in Honduras that people have been hostile toward the migrants.
When a group of people crossed the police barricade to bring donated water bottles and food to the migrant shelter, the crowd jeered at the volunteers and threw plastic bottles at them.
The United States closed off northbound traffic for several hours at the busiest border crossing with Mexico to install new security barriers on Monday, a day after hundreds of Tijuana residents protested against the presence of thousands of Central American migrants.
The U.S. also closed one of two pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro crossing in a move apparently aimed at preventing any mass rush of migrants across the border.
The installation of movable, wire-topped barriers threatens to complicate life for Mexicans using San Ysidro, where about 110,000 people enter the U.S. every day in 40,000 vehicles. Long lines backed up in Tijuana, where many people have to cross the border to work on the U.S. side.
Such inconveniences prompted by the arrival of the migrant caravan may have played a role in Sunday's protests, when about 400 Tijuana residents waved Mexican flags, sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted "Out! Out!" referring to the migrant caravan that arrived in the border city last week.
A must watch video...:eek:
At the 6:30 mark starts even more interesting information.
More caravans are coming from Brazil and Venezuela. Mexico has gone Left with the last election. The dictators from Venezuela and N. Korea (who is arriving from Cuba) is coming to the Mexico inauguration. At 8:25 Russia is investing in airports in Mexico, Putin is making new military equipment, planes, tanks and armored vehicles. Tax free and 10% of planes, tanks and vehicles made are staying in Mexico. Forward positioning?
Posted by Kane on November 26, 2018 7:28 pm
Categories: Breaking
Majority of the Caravan are Violent Men and They Aren’t Seeking Asylum
During an interview with CNN Monday morning, San Diego Sector Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott pushed back on the narrative that his agents are tear gassing women and children. He also debunked the talking point that hundreds of illegal aliens who stormed the border over the weekend are simply “peaceful” asylum seekers.
“One of our primary missions is to keep the border safe and secure. I kind of challenge that this was a peaceful protest or that the majority of these people are seeking asylum. We ended up making about 42 arrests, only eight of those were females and there were only a few children involved. The vast majority of people we are dealing with are adult males,” Scott said.
“Similar to what we saw with the first wave, the caravan that came up about a week or so ago, the group immediately started throwing rocks and debris at the agents. Taunting the agents. Once our agents were assaulted the numbers started growing. We had two or three agents at a time initially facing hundreds of people at a time. They deployed tear gas to protect themselves and to protect the border.”
“At least three agents were actually struck by rocks but they were in tactical gear so their helmets and their shields and bullet proof vests protected them from the rocks,” he continued. “We did have a few vehicles that were damages, some windows and quite a few dents.”
“What I saw on the border yesterday was not people walking up to Border Patrol agents and asking to claim asylum,” Scott said. “One of the groups that I watched and several of them were arrested, they passed 10 or 15 marked Border Patrol units walking west to east. Numerous uniformed personnel as they were chanting, waving a Honduran flag and throwing rocks at the agents. If they were truly asylum seekers, they would have walked up with their hands up and surrendered. That is not what took place.”
Guess who is coming to the border in support of the thousands upon thousands of migrants that want to storm through the San Diego-Tijuana border point of entry? Watch this report from Mexican journalist Alex Backman.
By Cristina Maza Washington's request to extradite two Russian arms dealers who allegedly attempted to sell weapons to Mexican drug cartels so they could shoot down U.S. helicopters was denied by U.S. ally Hungary, officials revealed Tuesday.
Hungary, a member of the European Union and a U.S. ally, opted to extradite the accused arms dealers, Vladimir Lyubishin Sr. and his son Vladimir Lyubishin Jr., to their home country of Russia instead. It is unclear whether the men will face trial in Russia.
“The United States is disappointed in the Hungarian government’s decision to extradite the Lyubishins to Russia. The United States had a strong case, built in cooperation with members of Hungarian law enforcement,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Tuesday.
“Hungary is a partner and friend of the United States, but this decision raises questions about Hungary’s commitment to law enforcement cooperation.”
The story of the Lyubishins was described in detail on Friday when Hungarian reporters revealed the findings of a three-month investigation into the case. The two Russian arms dealers had been residing in Hungary for years and entered into a relationship with representatives for Mexican cocaine dealers, according to the report and court documents reviewed by Newsweek.
The Mexican cartels wanted the weapons to defend themselves from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Russians were told. The men had planned to sell Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, anti-tank and air-to-surface missiles to the cartels, among other arsenal. The deals were allegedly facilitated by a Turkish middleman who met the Russians in Cyprus and Hungary.
Lawyers representing the two Russians told reporters that the men were unaware that the purchase was being made for drug cartels.
In reality, the entire deal was a setup planned by the DEA. The two Russians were arrested around a year and a half ago in a secret operation codenamed Perseus, which was led by the DEA and Hungarian counterterrorism forces. The suspects were also accused of smuggling cocaine into the U.S.
Court documents filed in the Southern District of New York in 2016 demonstrate that U.S. officials believed at least one of the Russians would soon be extradited. But reporters investigating the case in Hungary said that Moscow successfully pressured Budapest so the men would be released.
“The story of the Lyubishin affair has two parts involving different actors. The first part was the secret investigation and DEA sting operation, which involved the DEA, the FBI and Hungarian authorities—police and counter-terror units. The cooperation was very good, as usual. Hungarians were helping with surveillance, for example, then with the raid and the house searches,” Szabolcs Panyi, an investigative reporter with the publication Direkt 36 in Hungary, explained to Newsweek.
“The second part is when the story reached a political level. It became political when Hungary’s government realized they have to explain to the Kremlin why they extradited two Russians to the U.S. Russia is very aggressive in similar cases exerting pressure to secure their citizens involved in arms trafficking,” Panyi added.
Hungary’s controversial Prime Minister Viktor Orban has deepened his country’s ties to Russia at the same time he ran afoul of the European Union over his tough stance on migration and crackdown on the free press and judiciary.
This is not the first time this month that Hungary has helped an accused criminal escape justice, either. Earlier this month, Nikola Gruevski, the former prime minister of Macedonia who was convicted on corruption charges, vanished the day before his jail sentence was to begin and suddenly reappeared in Hungary. Investigators claim he was smuggled across the Balkans in a vehicle belonging to the Hungarian embassy.
The Hungarian government is now considering Gruevski’s asylum request, a fact many analysts found ironic given Orban’s hard-line anti-migrant and anti-asylum views.