Biden’s troop deployment to the border receives mixed responses.

President Joe Biden’s decision to send 1,500 additional U.S. military personnel to the Mexican border has received mixed reactions from lawmakers.

The White House and Pentagon announced on May 2 that the executive branch would nearly double the number of troops working along the border, increasing that number to 4,000 from 2,500. The 1,500 new troops will serve in a limited capacity, performing data entry, tracking and surveillance, transportation, and other tasks.

However, the troops going to the border won’t be performing any law enforcement action. Their presence will likely free up Border Patrol agents to focus on apprehending illegal aliens.

The announcement comes ahead of the expected end of Title 42, a COVID-era immigration policy making it easier for illegal aliens to be turned away along the border. The end of the program is expected to heavily exacerbate a situation that has already left Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) struggling to keep up with limited resources.

Democrats and Republicans React Differently

• Democrats, who have in the past condemned similar executive actions, have largely been mum on the issue.
• Republicans, meanwhile, have said that the move is too little, too late, and won’t address larger border security issues.

In 2018, Democrats condemned a similar move by President Donald Trump; dozens of Democrat lawmakers at the time signed a letter condemning the decision. Democrats at the time described the move as “nothing short of a militarization of the border to score political points.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose administration is now doing the same, at the time called it “inappropriate,” “political,” and “a demonstration for TV cameras,” while she was a U.S. senator from California.

Democrats and Republicans Disagree on the Move

• Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) decried the move in a statement as “militarization of the border,” which he called “unacceptable.”
• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said of the decision, which he called “a publicity stunt that does nothing to stop Joe Biden’s border crisis.”
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whose state bears the brunt of illegal immigration, agreed that the move won’t limit the expected surge in illegal migration.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and others see political motives behind the move.