Yes, it’s a bit disappointing that the U.S. military presence along the southern border will be reduced, with a total drawdown reportedly done by mid-December. That doesn’t mean the government isn’t keeping tabs on the illegal alien horde that’s been flooding into Mexico on its way to our southern border, some of which have reached that point near southern California. NBC News is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security has infiltrated the caravan’s WhatsApp network, and they have paid informants within the group. All of this is to track the whereabouts of the caravan, its size, and whether there are national security threats among its ranks (via NBC News):
The Department of Homeland Security is gathering intelligence from paid undercover informants inside the migrant caravan that is now reaching the California-Mexico border as well as monitoring the text messages of migrants, according to two DHS officials.
The 4,000 migrants, mainly from Honduras, have used WhatsApp text message groups as a way to organize and communicate along their journey to the California border, and DHS personnel have joined those groups to gather that information.
The intelligence gathering techniques are combined with reports from DHS personnel working in Mexico with the government there in an effort to keep tabs on the caravan's size, movements and any potential security threats.
On Monday, DHS officials told reporters that their intelligence on Sunday night had indicated that a group of migrants wanted to run through the car lanes of a border crossing near San Diego. Customs and Border Protection shut down all northbound lanes of the crossing from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. as a result. However, the ambush was never attempted.
As of now, the Tijuana border fence has been reinforced with barbed wire. The Trump administration has expressed that these illegal aliens will not be allowed to just walk into the country.
The Fake News is showing old footage of people climbing over our Ocean Area Fence. This is what it really looks like - no climbers anymore under our Administration! pic.twitter.com/CD4ltRePML
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018
Unfortunately, some members of the caravan are purposely causing disruptions at our border ports of entry. There is a legal and illegal way to enter the US. We have deployed additional forces to protect our border. We will enforce all our laws.
— Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) November 19, 2018