On Monday evening, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified that President Donald Trump had declared a National Emergency along the US Mexico border. Within the declaration, the President states the following:
"America’s sovereignty is under attack. Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans."
"This invasion has caused widespread chaos and suffering in our country over the last 4 years. It has led to the horrific and inexcusable murders of many innocent American citizens, including women and children, at the hands of illegal aliens. Foreign criminal gangs and cartels have begun seizing control of parts of cities, attacking our most vulnerable citizens, and terrorizing Americans beyond the control of local law enforcement. Cartels control vast territories just south of our southern border, effectively controlling who can and cannot travel to the United States from Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have tragically died from drug overdoses because of the illicit narcotics that have flowed across the southern border."
The declaration continues:
"Because of the gravity and emergency of this present danger and imminent threat, it is necessary for the Armed Forces to take all appropriate action to assist the Department of Homeland Security in obtaining full operational control of the southern border."
The document goes on to direct the Secretary of Defense and other relevant commanders to order the deployment of as many units or members of the Armed Forces, including Ready Reserve and National Guard troops, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to help DHS obtain complete operational control of the southern border of the U.S.. The Secretary of Defense is also directed to take all appropriate action to facilitate the operational needs of DHS along the southern border, including through the provision of detention space, transportation to include aircraft, and other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations.
RELATED RESOURCES:
List of all Executive Actions
Analysis: New Executive Orders on Immigration
On Tuesday, the US Coast Guard issued a press release announcing the immediate actions being taken in support of the national emergency declaration. According to Admiral Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard’s acting commandant:
“Per the President’s Executive Orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets, including cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces, to increase Coast Guard presence and focus. The areas listed cover all maritime approaches to US borders, including:
- The southeast U.S. border approaching Florida to deter and prevent a maritime mass migration from Haiti and/or Cuba;
- The maritime border around Alaska, Hawaii’i, the U.S. territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
- The maritime border between the Bahamas and south Florida;
The southwest maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific;
- The maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America;
Initial Troop Deployment
On Wednesday, the Pentagon issued a statement from Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses announcing an initial deployment of 1500 active duty troops to the border who will join 2500 others already operating in the region. Video released late this week showed armed Marines offloading from V-22 Osprey aircraft within meters of the border fence at an undisclosed location.
The Pentagon indicates the military portion of the operation will ultimately involve approximately 10,000 troops and falls under the direction of U.S. Northern Command.
Daily Arrest Figures and Deportation Flights
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun publishing daily updates of immigration arrests and lodged detainers. On Thursday, Ice reported 538 arrests + 373 detainees. On Friday, 593 arrests + 449 detainees. These are single-day totals. Also on Friday, the White House announced that deportation flights had begun. To this end, the White House published an image showing a line of shackled migrants walking up the rear ramp of a military transport aircraft.
Cartels to be Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
In another power move certain to bring dramatic changes to cross-border relations, on Monday, President Trump signed an Executive Order creating a process by which certain international cartels and other transnational criminal organizations will be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
"International cartels constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime, with activities including a convergence between themselves and a range of extra-hemispheric actors, from designated foreign-terror organizations, to antagonistic foreign governments.
The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests, but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs."
The Executive Order goes on to state that it is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the US through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures.
The Foreign Terrorist Organization designation gives the administration more power to impose economic penalties, travel restrictions, and potentially even take military action within foreign nations.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the national and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of any new alerts, warnings, or advisories impacting the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant. |
