Operation Faithful Patriot
Operation Faithful Patriot | |
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Type | Border control, Homeland security |
Location | |
Objective | Hardening of the Mexico–United States border to prevent a potential border crossing of migrants from Central America. |
Date | October 26, 2018 | – present
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Business and personal 45th President of the United States Tenure
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Border support operations, formerly known as Operation Faithful Patriot,
Background
In early October 2018, several thousands of people fled gang violence from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) on an overland journey north in three separate groups colloquially referred to them as "caravans". According to some in the caravans, their intention was to cross through Mexico and later into the U.S. border.[2] In response to the northward migration, and according to Newsweek, U.S. President Donald Trump eventually made his decision to take a hard-line stance against illegal immigration on the Mexican border.[2]
Timeline
In April 2018, President Donald Trump ordered Operation Guardian Support, consisting of
In October 2018, what was then known as Operation Faithful Patriot was initiated to provide
According to General
By October 29, 2018, approximately 800 soldiers of the initial contingent had been deployed, with military officials confirming the remainder would be in place by the end of that week.[8] Citing an unnamed source, KQED-FM reported the forces were being moved to marshaling areas in California, Texas, and Arizona and, from there, would respond to CBP positioning requests.[8] In addition, the operation called for the supply of United States Army-owned anti-riot gear to the CBP.[7]
On November 7, 2018, the Pentagon announced that the name Operation Faithful Patriot was no longer in use. Instead, the current deployment of troops will be simply referred to as "border support."
Under the
On January 31, 2019, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan announced that additional troops, likely several thousand, would be deployed to the border.[15] The deployment was expanded to roughly 6,000 troops, drawn from the Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy, and their stay was extended through September 2019.[12] By March, a plan was being prepared to ask the Defense Department for more federal troops to help with migrant processing, transportation and medical care in high-crossing areas. The draft plan includes using Defense Department land to house migrants in detention sites.[16][17]
On March 23, 2020, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic across the U.S. and worldwide, Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell said that the Pentagon “has no plans to pull units off the border for coronavirus response” and the Defense Department confirmed that the troops at the border were authorized to stay there through September 30, 2020.[18]
Units assigned
As of October 29, 2018, a full list of units participating in border support operations had not been released, but activated forces were said to include
U.S. military
- 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Rakkasans)
1st Engineer Battalion
- 41st Engineer Company[19]
16th Military Police Brigade
- 503rd Military Police Battalion (ABN,
-65th Military Police Company -108th Military Police Company
- 91st Military Police Battalion
-563rd Military Police Company
- 42nd Military Police Brigade
-66th Military Police Company [20]
36th Engineer Brigade
- 62nd Engineer Battalion[21]
89th Military Police Brigade
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company[22]
- 287th Military Police Company
- 212th Military Police Company
- 591st Military Police Company
- 977th Military Police Company
63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion
- Charlie Company[23]
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade (Hunter Army Airfield)
2nd Battalion 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Fort Bragg, NC, Alpha/Charlie Air Assault Assault Companies, D Co Aviation maint support 2nd Battalion Bravo General Support
3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment
HHT A Troop B Troop D Forward Sustainment Troop
National Guard
The existing National Guard mission being reinforced is Operation Guardian Support. The National Guard mission is operating in four task forces: Task Force Anzio, Task Force Salerno, Task Force Defender, and Task Force Aviation. The National Guards of Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi have contributed forces to the operation. Virginia, an early contributor to the operation, withdrew its forces in June 2018 on the order of Governor Ralph Northam.[24] 285th Aviation Regiment (Arizona)
- 2nd Battalion Alpha/Bravo Air Assault Assault Companies
72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Texas)
- 536th Brigade Support Battalion[25] (elements)
114th Aviation Regiment (Mississippi)
- 1st Security and Support Aviation Battalion[26] (elements)
133rd Field Artillery Regiment (Texas)
- 3rd Field Artillery Battalion[27] (elements)
151st Aviation Regiment (South Carolina)
- 2nd Security and Support Aviation Battalion[28] (elements)
Service medal
The Armed Forces Service Medal will be awarded to troops who have deployed to the border.[29] The AFSM may be awarded to service members who have participated, as members of U.S. military units, in a designated U.S. military operation deemed to be a significant activity and encounter no foreign armed opposition or imminent hostile action.[30]
See also
- Defense Support of Civil authorities
- Operation Jump Start
- Immigration policy of Donald Trump
References
- ^ Mitchell, Ellen (November 7, 2018). "Pentagon drops 'Operation Faithful Patriot' as name of military mission at border". The Hill.
- ^ a b c d LaPorta, James; O'Connor, Tom (October 29, 2018). "Migrant Caravan: U.S. Military Will Have Up to 14,000 Troops, Many Armed, Ready to Intervene at Mexico Border". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Trevizo, Perla (May 24, 2018). "Arizona National Guard's deployment allows for more border agents to be on patrol". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- Military Times. Archivedfrom the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ United States Army North. "JFLCC Threat Working Group (Operation Faithful Patriot) 271000ROCT18" (PDF). Cryptome. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- U.S. Department of Defense. Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ U.S. Department of Defense. Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Burns, Arthur (October 29, 2018). "Pentagon to Send 5,200 Troops to Border, Becerra Calls Deployment 'Disturbing'". KQED-FM. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Starr, Barbara; Cohen, Zachary (November 7, 2018). "Pentagon no longer calling border mission 'Operation Faithful Patriot'". CNN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Cooper, Helene (November 10, 2018). "Deployed Inside the United States: The Military Waits for the Migrant Caravan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c Watson, Julie (November 17, 2018). "Migrants won't see armed US soldiers on border". AP News. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c O'Toole, Molly (March 21, 2019). "Marine Corps commandant says deploying troops to the border poses 'unacceptable risk'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Walsh, Steve (June 13, 2019). "Troops Keep A Low Profile Along The US-Mexico Border". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (March 24, 2019). "Trump says barbed wire 'can be a beautiful sight.' Many border communities disagree". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Ellen (January 29, 2019). "Pentagon to send a 'few thousand' more troops to southern border". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Burnett, John (March 26, 2019). "A Surge Of Migrants Strains Border Patrol As El Paso Becomes Latest Hot Spot". NPR. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ Myers, Meghann (December 27, 2019). "How the border wall work-stop could affect troop deployments". Military Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ O’Toole, Molly (March 23, 2020). "U.S. troops remain at southern border despite waning migration, as coronavirus spreads elsewhere". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- U.S. Department of Defense. Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ "16th Military Police Brigade Prepares for OPERATION FAITHFUL PATRIOT". dvidshub.net. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "19th Engineer Battalion Prepares to Deploy". dvidshub.net. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Griffins Prepare to Deploy". dvidshub.net. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Soldiers and equipment from the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion support Operation Faithful Patriot". DVIDS. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Thayer, Rose (July 11, 2018). "Guard troops sent to US southern border remain far from the immigration front lines". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "TUPELO SOLDIERS HEAD TO MEXICAN BORDER". WTVA. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Texas Guard Support Improves Border Patrol Efficiency". dvidshub.net. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "SOUTH CAROLINA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD TO SEND SUPPORT TO TEXAS BORDER". scguard.com. South Carolina National Guard. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Harkins, Gina (August 19, 2019). "Troops Who Deployed to the US-Mexico Border Are Getting a Medal". Military.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ "Directives Division" (PDF). www.dtic.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2018.