[PJ] WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon announced this afternoon that Defense Secretary James Mattis has approved sending active-duty troops to the border as a caravan of Central American migrants moves slowly on foot north from southern Mexico.The statement said Mattis approved the request from Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to provide "mission-enhancing capabilities" to DHS and Customs and Border Protection "in addition to the previously authorized support to CBP's Operation Guardian Support mission."
"The DoD will provide Defense Support of Civil Authorities with planning assistance, engineering support (temporary barriers, barricades and fencing), fixed and rotary wing aviation support to move CBP personnel, medical teams to triage, treat and prepare for commercial transport of patients, command and control facilities, temporary housing for CBP personnel, and personal protective equipment for CBP personnel," the Pentagon said. "USNORTHCOM will be in the lead for the duration of the operation and is in support of Customs and Border Protection."
No other details were provided, such as how many personnel will be allocated to the mission or how much it will cost.
The caravan is still nearly 2,000 miles from the border, a journey that would take weeks on foot. It began Oct. 12 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and only recently crossed from Guatemala into Mexico.
The growth trajectory of the caravan, estimated by the UN's International Organization for Migration at some 7,000 people on Monday, appears to be reversing due to illness and injury, groups splitting up, people returning home, and more than 1,700 migrants applying for asylum in Mexico. The Mexican government estimated Wednesday evening that 3,630 migrants were still headed on the journey north.