A senior official of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) has remarked that President Donald Trump’s deployment of military troops to support border security efforts has proven to be a game-changer.
Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the USBP’s San Diego Sector, pointed out that the presence of military personnel at the border has enabled USBP agents to focus on critical law enforcement tasks.
According to the chief patrol agent, the presence of the Army, Navy and Marines along the southern border has acted as a “force multiplier.” The military’s role in surveillance, detection and infrastructure support has freed up agents to respond more swiftly to illegal crossings. State forces, in the form of Texas National Guard (TNG) soldiers deputized as immigration officers, are also helping ease the USBP’s load. (Related: Texas Military Department ramps up recruitment to support border security efforts.)
Task Force Sapper, a unit of nearly 500 Marines, has been instrumental in fortifying border barriers with razor wire and other protective measures. Aside from barrier construction, the Marines are also engaged in surveillance and detection along stretches of the border. Meanwhile, Army engineers and military police from Fort Campbell in Kentucky have bolstered observational capabilities by backing up their counterparts from the Marines.
Hellbound and Down 