Pentagon to pull 1,100 troops from border as illegal crossings rise

The Pentagon plans to pull 1,100 active duty troops from the U.S.-Mexico border in August, just a month after the border saw a 30% increase in illegal crossings. The plans were confirmed by a defense official on the condition of anonymity to discuss details ahead of an announcement.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the 90-day deployment of 1,500 active duty troops to the border back in May. At the time, illegal border crossings were swiftly escalating as the Biden administration ended Title 42.

The 90-day time period is up on Tuesday, Aug. 8. According to the Pentagon official, 400 of the 1,500 troops will stay at the border through at least the end of August to help with illegal crossings.

In the days leading up to the end of Title 42, border agents were encountering 10,000 migrants a day. At one point, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had 27,000 migrants in custody.

Immediately after Title 42 expired, the numbers dropped sharply to about 5,000 encounters a day. While agency data shows illegal crossing numbers have stayed low, new numbers show they may be on the rise.

According to preliminary CBP data obtained by The Washington Post, illegal crossings jumped more than 30% in July compared to June. U.S. agents made more than 130,000 arrests in July, up from 99,545 in June.

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Despite the rise in July, CBP spokesperson Erin Waters said illegal crossings remain lower than the levels recorded in the months before the ending of Title 42.

“Unlawful border crossings have gone down since our border enforcement plan went into effect and remain well below the levels seen while Title 42 was in effect,” Waters said in a statement. “We remain vigilant and expect to see fluctuations, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.”

The troop withdrawal comes amid an ongoing legal battle over a buoy border wall Texas installed across the Rio Grande River. Last week, the Justice Department announced it has sued Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, saying the buoys present a humanitarian and environmental concern.

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