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

The US fears an influx of migrants at the border after the so-called ‘Title 42’ rule expires on May 11. The emergency measure, which came into force during the corona pandemic, has so far made it possible to immediately return most migrants who illegally enter the country at the border with Mexico.

The measure dates back to the administration of President Donald Trump and allows authorities to return millions of migrants who illegally cross the border. For example, the spread of the corona virus had to be prevented.

The 1,500 soldiers will in principle be stationed along the border for a period of ninety days, the US government now reports. They will help customs there. Some 2,500 National Guard troops, a kind of reserve army, are also already stationed along the border to help customs.

“Military personnel will not participate directly in law enforcement and have no contact with the migrants,” the US authorities said. The deployment of the soldiers should above all ensure that the border guards can spend more time on the ground.

Customs expects 10,000 migrants to cross the border into Mexico every day when the emergency measure ends. That is double the average in March. In the past month, the number of border crossings in the southern US has already increased sharply.

The US government has been looking for solutions to the tense situation on the border with Mexico for some time. A few days ago, the authorities announced that they would move the registration of asylum seekers from Central and South America abroad and open registration centers in Colombia and Guatemala, among others.

When asked for a response, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the US is a sovereign country and that Mexico respects the decisions of the neighboring country.

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