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At the present time, the troops have no authority to intervene in the event of an attack by CBP personnel, unless they are obliged to do so. To act for their own defense.
Between 5,800 and 5,900 soldiers are assigned to the border mission.
The move could be announced as early as Monday night, officials said. The mission will be qualified solely as "protection of CBP personnel", according to the head of the administration.
This comes as officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Monday that they had begun to obtain information from "multiple sources, including individuals from the Mexican government" about possible waves or groups of people. Individuals discussing an incursion into California's legal ports of entry attempting to pass through the traffic lanes.
Any potential use of force by US troops to protect CBP personnel must be "proportional", said the official.
It is expected that the Pentagon and US Northern Command will amend the current document detailing the rules governing the "use of force" at the border mission.
The three leaders are adamant that change is not unthinkable. Instead, the new rules will aim to provide basic authorities with the opportunity to take protective measures. Previously, the troops had no authority to intervene if CBP personnel were to attack.
The Pentagon has been working for days on options for troops to protect CBP.
Defense officials also insist that National Guard forces activated by governors, as well as national and local civil law enforcement authorities in a given region, should be used as much as possible.
DHS spokesperson Katie Waldman told CNN: "As Secretary Nielsen said, we will not allow our front-line staff to put themselves in danger, we will do everything in our power. power to protect those who defend the sovereignty of our country and secure our border.We appreciate the Department of Defense intervenes to assist the Department of Homeland Security as needed. "
The White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, during the troops' visit along the Texas border, said that CBP was doing "all the work, but we support them as a factor of confidence", referring to the department's request Homeland Security to provide support. .
More than 2,000 Central American migrants have arrived in the border town of Tijuana in recent days, and an estimated 3,000 more migrants would be in Mexicali, Mexico, another border town about 100 miles away, said CNN a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
As previously reported by CNN, the Department of Homeland Security originally asked the Pentagon to protect CBP, but Mattis rejected the request, saying the Pentagon was asking its troops to carry out maintenance tasks. 39 order which had to be approved directly. by President Trump. At the time of the original request, the Department of Defense had stated that if homeland security officials still wanted troops to play a protective role, they should ask the White House to formally grant the Pentagon Authorization from the authorities to perform these additional functions.
Initially, the troops were tasked with providing assistance to customs and border protection services, including technical support for the construction of gates, barricades and temporary fencing, air support for the transfer of US service personnel customs and border protection, the constitution of medical teams the transport of patients and the construction of temporary housing and personal protective equipment for CBP staff.
Last week, CNN announced that US troops on the border between Texas and Mexico were about to complete the task they had been assigned to strengthen border crossing points, mainly with accordion.
Catherine Shoichet of CNN contributed to the reports.
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