ACLU Comment on Biden Administration Sending Troops to Southern Border

WASHINGTON — News broke today that the Biden administration plans to send 1,500 active-duty military troops to the United States’ southern border to perform “monitoring and administrative tasks” ahead of the end of Title 42.

Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies for the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:

“People who have been forced to flee their homes and embark on arduous, dangerous journeys for the chance to seek legal protection in the U.S. should be met with compassion – not military troops. President Biden has had years to prepare for the long-overdue end to Title 42, and to ensure that people fleeing violence can seek safety at the southern border in a humane and dignified manner. He has already announced his intention to impose an unlawful asylum ban reviving Trump policies he previously disavowed. Now he’s sending troops to the border at the eleventh hour, for political optics. He should instead be focused on creating a robust, efficient, and humane system to screen and welcome people in search of safety.”