US Strengthens Border Presence
Vocab level: C1
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We start today at the US-Mexico border
where thousands of active-duty US troops were ordered, days after President Donald Trump mandated...
that US military increase its presence there.
Federal resources along the US Southern border have been stretched thin for years.
And though the number has dropped recently,
more than 1000 migrants are crossing the border illegally every day,
according to Homeland Security officials.
Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said
he directed the Defense Department to send 1,500 ground troops to the border along with...
helicopter crews and intelligence analysts.
This initial wave of troops included 500 Marines
prepared for a range of possible operations at the border
tasked with both acting as a rapid response force and a long-term presence.
These additional troops are joining more than 2,000 active-duty forces already at the border,
supporting US Customs and Border Protection,
who have been performing mostly logistical and bureaucratic jobs like...
data entry, surveillance, and vehicle maintenance.
Military officials have been wary of sending large numbers of troops to the border at once
because of the strain it might put on military resources and missions around the world.
But Trump Administration officials told CNN even more active-duty troops are expected to be deployed to the border in the coming weeks and months.
It's expected that the troops at the border...
will free up Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents
to focus on arrests of undocumented immigrants already inside the US.
On Monday, President Trump issued an executive order saying:
he will decide within 90 days
whether to invoke the Insurrection Act at the southern border.
This would allow active-duty troops to act as law enforcement on US soil.
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