The Biden administration is set to pull troops from the southern border despite a surge in migrant crossings.
An anonymous Defense Department official told the Associated Press that the Pentagon will pull 1,100 troops from the border by August 8. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first sent the troops in May for a 90-day stint amid the migrant surges surrounding the expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era rule that allowed officials to turn migrants away. Austin has authorized 400 troops to stay at the border through August 31.
The pulled troops assist with tasks such as warehouse support and data entry, freeing up Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, officials say.
The removal comes as the border sees a surge in crossings, especially in Arizona, the Texas Tribune reported:
U.S. agents made more than 130,000 arrests along the Mexico border last month, preliminary figures show, up from 99,545 in June. Authorities allowed an additional 50,000 migrants to cross into the United States in July, primarily through Biden administration programs allowing asylum seekers to schedule appointments at U.S. ports of entry using the CBP One mobile application.
The spike in illegal crossings was most pronounced in the deserts of southern Arizona, despite daytime temperatures that often surpassed 110 degrees. U.S. agents there made about 40,000 arrests in July, the highest one-month total for the Tucson sector in 15 years, CBP data show.
The news comes after the Washington Free Beacon reported that the White House is ignoring its own limits on asylum-seekers and allowing more migrants to enter the country.