The nearly 6000 U.S. troops President Donald Trump ordered to the Southern border as a pre-midterms election show of strength to the base are being sent home – after Thanksgiving.
For weeks Trump focused on the “caravan” of Honduran migrants who were walking toward the U.S.-Mexico border, falsely painting them as a direct threat to Americans. As soon as the midterms were over Trump stopped focusing on the impoverished migrants, many of whom would like to seek asylum.
Politico reports that in addition to the troops coming home for Christmas, Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan “confirmed previous reports that the military rejected a request from the Department of Homeland Security for an armed force to back up Border Patrol agents in the event of a violent confrontation.”
“That is a law enforcement task, and the secretary of defense does not have the authority to approve that inside the homeland,” Buchanan said.
Troops are expected to leave the border by December 15.
NBC News political reporter Benjy Sarlin, citing a new poll, says most Americans do not “see the caravan as a major threat,” and residents of the four Southern border states “are least likely to be worried” abut the caravan.
Here’s video from VOA News last week showing troops have little to do.