translated from Spanish: Migrant Caravan: the Pentagon chief arrives at the border with Mexico

The United States Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, traveled to the McAllen Texas, in the southern border town, to know the status of about 5,900 soldiers deployed in the area. The Mission of the troops is to prevent the entry into the country of the caravan of migrants who travel Mexico. The Pentagon chief visited troops and defended the deployment ordered by Trump to journalists.
“I want to see how are the troops that have been deployed in support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and border patrol agents”, Mattis told reporters at the military aircraft that led to Camp Donna, on the outskirts of McAllen.
Mattis moved to South Texas, where there are 2,800 deployed 5,600 soldiers active. The others are in Arizona (1,500) and California (1,300).
The law prevents the military bodies participate in the detention of civilians, so they can not arrest immigrants without papers. Their duties are essentially logistical support.
It is expected that the soldiers are there until December 15, but that date could change.
Historical deployment is the largest military deployment on the border since the Mexican Revolution. The number of active soldiers is also more than double of 2,000 that is in Syria to fight against the Islamic State.
Alongside them there are also 2,100 members of the national guard – a body of volunteers who helps the army – reserve. They were sent in April by Trump before the arrival of another Caravan.
This Tuesday (13.11.2018) arrived in Tijuana, which makes border with the American State of California, more than 350 migrants from the latest caravan which passes through Mexico.
Mattis, however, admitted that he is “certainly” “a nontraditional mission” which takes place on American soil, so the military warned: “eyes of the world are on you,” said.
Mattis emphasized that most of the military displaced to the region belong to bodies of engineers which, under any circumstances, imply in migrant detention tasks.
“I don’t foresee military personnel to enter into direct contact with migrants,” said the Secretary of Defense.
DG (efe, dpa)

Original source in Spanish