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WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that US troops posted at the southwestern border would not be armed with firearms to deal with incoming migrants, despite a directive from the United States. the White House to protect border security officers by associating them with military forces.
The White House memo seeks to expand the mission of troops at the border to include tasks such as crowd control and temporary detention. But Mattis said the final decision on what US soldiers and Marines could do – and could not – belong to the Secretary of Defense.
Mr. Mattis mentioned a possible case in which troops could act: defend a border agent struck by a rock and arrest the migrant who threw him. But he was asked if such a situation could require that the American soldier be armed. The defense secretary has stated unequivocally that this would not be the case.
"No," he said. "Not with a gun."
Sent to the Pentagon Tuesday night, the memo was signed by John F. Kelly, Chief of Staff of the White House, and not by President Trump. This is the latest in a series of White House directives aimed at encouraging active-duty troops to play a more aggressive role at the border against an impending caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America.
The Pentagon has resisted some of these efforts by wielding the specter of the Posse Comitatus law, a law dating back to the era of reconstruction, which prohibits US forces from engaging in activities to maintain the Order within the US borders.
US troops may be equipped with anti-riot equipment for the border mission, Defense Department officials said.
Nevertheless, "we are not enforcing the law," insisted Mattis. "There is no arrest authority under Posse Comitatus for US federal troops."
The White House pushed for a more aggressive military role was undermined by an internal Ministry of Homeland Security document, dated November 17, describing the "minimal" likelihood that US border guards will be confronted with southwestern border violence. The analysis of border information contrasted with White House statements entering and attacking border guards to enter the United States.
Border troops were already allowed to defend themselves strongly and to protect border agents. The White House memo reaffirmed this authority, but also opened the door to sending naval soldiers and soldiers to accompany and defend border officials likely to be attacked, officials said. of the administration.
Did he ask how he planned to prevent the repetition of a 1997 episode in which Marine deployed at the border shot dead a teenager raising his family's goats. Mr. Mattis rejected the question. "I will not trust that," he said. "They do not even carry weapons, for the sake of Christ."
Since Mr. Trump announced that he wanted the US military to repel the migrant caravan that he described as an "invasion," the White House and Pentagon presented contrasting images of what deployed troops can do.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump described a "wall of people" to stop the caravan and called for up to 15,000 soldiers to defend the border. the Pentagon reluctantly sent 5,900. Mr. Trump talked about telling the military to deal with migrants throwing stones as if it were rifles. The leaders of the Pentagon have quickly returned to their remarks.
Mr. Mattis said that in exceptional circumstances he could lead troops to arrest migrants. But he added that such detention would be measured in "minutes, not even hours". He also indicated that he would order detention only at the express request of the Department of Homeland Security.
No decision has been taken on extending the mission to the border beyond December 15, when it is expected to conclude, said Mattis.
More than 3,200 caravan migrants have reached the border town of Tijuana, Mexico, where they may have to wait for months if they decide to legally enter. Officials estimate that this number could reach more than 10,000. According to the same source, Customs and Border Protection, another 3,000 migrants are in the border town of Mexicali, about 160 km east of Tijuana.
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