Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen ordered the redeployment and relocation of 750 of Border Patrol agents Monday. The move is part of the Trump administrtion's ongoing efforts to address the endless illegal immigration crisis at the southern border with Mexico.
“The crisis at our border is worsening, and DHS will do everything in its power to end it,” Nielsen released in a statement. “We will not stand idly by while Congress fails to act yet again, so all options are on the table. We will immediately redeploy hundreds of CBP personnel to the border to respond to this emergency. We will urgently pursue additional reinforcements from within DHS and the interagency. And we will require those seeking to enter the United States to wait in Mexico until an immigration court has reviewed their claims.”
Accoridng to DHS, "Secretary Nielsen further directed CBP to immediately expand the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a DHS initiative to return aliens to Mexico to wait during the pendency of their U.S. immigration proceedings. The Secretary directed CBP to return hundreds of additional migrants per day above current rates to Mexico, consistent with U.S. law and humanitarian obligations."
ICYMI: Each day, nearly 40% of USBP agents on the SW border are diverted away from CBP’s border security mission to care for, transport & process family units and unaccompanied children. @CBP_McAleenan discussed CBP’s medical efforts this week in El Paso. https://t.co/MHITPEJDLc pic.twitter.com/kq6eTPDivq
— CBP (@CBP) March 31, 2019
Last week, Border Patrol agents in El Paso we forced to keep thousands of illegal immigrants housed under a bridge because detention centers are full.
During a news conference in El Paso with U.S. CBP Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan, hundreds of detained migrants were waiting to be processed at a transitional shelter underneath the Paso Del Norte bridge since about midnight Tuesday.
— CBS4Local (@CBS4Local) March 27, 2019
Story: https://t.co/6gj4dSihod pic.twitter.com/uL75pM8bXL
Meanwhile, former Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is also calling the situation a crisis.
"On Tuesday there were 4,000 apprehensions. I know that 1,000 overwhelms the system. I can’t imagine what 4,000 a day looks like. So, we are truly in a crisis,” Johnson said during an interview with MSNBC last week.
Johnson said the same during an interview with Fox News.
Former Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to Neil: Right now we have a crisis at our southern border pic.twitter.com/sbtS5onWme
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) March 30, 2019