The Pentagon Isn’t Serious About Stopping the Caravan spectator.org/the-pentagon-i…
As the totally spontaneous “caravan” of migrants pushes its way north toward the virtually undefended U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon proudly announced that it was deploying an additional 800 troops to the southwestern border to augment the National Guard forces already there.
Many on the Right breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, no one should be relieved.
For starters, the sheer size of the caravan has swelled — according to some reports — to more than 7,000 people.
Unfortunately, no one should be relieved.
For starters, the sheer size of the caravan has swelled — according to some reports — to more than 7,000 people.
Presently, the National Guard has around 2,100 of its troops supporting the U.S. Border Patrol. Mind you, the U.S.-Mexico border is nearly 2,000 miles long (with little standing in the way of illegal entry).
In April, James Mattis approved a memo ordering the deployment of up to 4K U.S. National Guardsmen to the southwestern border (provided that the governors of border states approve of the action and that the DHS reimburse the DOD for its troubles).
Yet, the DoD instituted such strict rules of engagement for the National Guardsmen that they’ve proven useless to the Border Patrol.
What’s more, the 800 active-duty troops that are being deployed to the border are not charged with providing physical support of the Border Patrol and National Guard. Instead, the Pentagon has opted to send its doctors, lawyers, and engineers.
What do you think military doctors, engineers, and lawyers are going to do to turn back the human wave threatening America’s porous southwest? (Hint: they’re not going to physically turn back that caravan; they’re going to accommodate it in all likelihood)
the Pentagon has already approved the Department of Homeland Security’s request to turn unused areas of large U.S. military bases along the southwestern border into tent cities.
Clearly, the Pentagon has decided to engage in its own bit of policymaking, regardless of what the president has ordered — or what the American people want (and what the United States Constitution outlines).
Clearly, the Pentagon is as uncomfortable about physically protecting the U.S.-Mexico border as the Democratic Party is.
Without a direct, inviolate command from the president explicitly ordering the Pentagon to take decisive actions to physically turn back the caravan, the DOD will slow-walk and half-ass its response to this pending invasion —
— hiding behind process until the caravan has arrived, and there is no choice but to take the human mass in.
But likely, even if Trump did issue such an explicit order, the Pentagon’s first reaction would be to “follow the letter of the law” when dealing with the “undocumented migrants.”
Yet, if one looks at what this “caravan” isin its proper context — an invasion — then following the “letter of the law” would be to turn the human wave away without taking anyone in.
Instead of sending doctors to care for the caravan, engineers to build new homes for the invaders, and lawyers to make them legal citizens, the Pentagon would be sending muscle — and lots of it.
