In Presidio, Texas, the Trump administration's deployment of 10,000 active-duty soldiers aims to bolster security at the border amid concerns over illegal crossings. Local resident Anibal Galindo criticizes this move, suggesting it transforms the area into a military zone despite already strong law enforcement presence. The Army insists soldiers will provide logistical support rather than conducting patrols. While some, like Judge Joe Portillo, support the military's role, the low number of actual border encounters—only 165 reported in February—casts doubt on the necessity of this heightened military presence.
"I feel like they're basically turning this place into a military zone, or a wanna-be conflict zone when in reality it isn't," said local resident Anibal Galindo of the deployment.
"The surveillance is here," said Galindo. "So what else do you want?"
Maj. Jared Stefani, who's leading the Big Bend area deployment, said at a March press conference: "We will not be actively on patrols. We'll be at detection and monitoring sites to provide that information to [the] Border Patrol to then go out and do their law enforcement function."
Judge Joe Portillo, the top official in Presidio County, said he welcomes the military's presence even though border arrest numbers in this sector are low.
#border-security #military-deployment #local-sentiment #us-customs-and-border-protection #trump-administration
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