The men were sent out on a mission that would last 90 days.
Most of the troops sent to the southern border ahead of a possible post-Title 42 surge are being pulled back by the Pentagon now that their 90-day mission is over. However, 400 will stay there until the end of the month.
A defense source told Fox News Digital that 1,100 active-duty troops who were sent out on missions have already started going back to their home bases. The 90-day window for deployment will close on August 8. The Associated Press was the first to report the news.
According to the source, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin permitted up to 400 active-duty troops to stay at the border until August 31.
The Department of Homeland Security asked for help in May before the end of the Title 42 public health order, which let refugees at the southern border leave quickly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The troops were sent in response.
People thought that when the order was lifted, there would be a massive influx of migrants. To stop this, the Biden administration took several steps, like making it easier for people to move legally and putting in place a rule that prevented some undocumented people from getting refuge.
In the days before the order ended, the number of migrants reached a new high of 10,000 daily. After the mandate finished, the number of migrants went down generally. With over 200,000 in May and 144,000 in June, the number is still pretty high, but the government says the drop shows that its plan has been working.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week at a House Judiciary Committee meeting, “Our approach to managing the borders in a safe and humane way, even though our immigration system is broken at its core, is working.”
But there are signs that the number of people may soon start to rise again. The administration’s plan for what to do after Title 42 was hurt last week when a federal judge stopped the refugee rule in response to a case from left-wing groups.
In a court statement, DHS said that if the rule is overturned, it “anticipates a return to higher levels of encounters, which would put a lot of pressure on DHS components, border communities, and cities in the interior.”
A separate filing said that 100,000 migrants seemed to be waiting in northern Mexico to see “if the stronger consequences that come with the rule’s implementation are real.” The government is reviewing the decision so that the order will remain in place.
This week, the Washington Post said that the number of people who first crossed the line in July increased by 30%. Panama officials said nearly 250,000 people have traveled through the Darien Gap this year. This is a crucial crossing place for people trying to reach the United States.
