Soldiers from Fort Carson have been cleared to transport Customs and Border Patrol agents while they assist with illegal-immigration enforcement.
Northern Command said in a news release Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had granted military service members additional authority to assist with immigration enforcement, including transportation and helping “detect, track, and monitor movements” using military vehicles and foot patrols.
The 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson is deploying to the southern border and will be more effectively used with the new authorities, the news release said. Strykers are eight-wheeled vehicles specialized for different tasks such as troop transport and medical evacuation.
“Enhanced detection and monitoring authorities enable units assigned to U.S. Northern Command’s southern border mission to detect, track, and monitor suspected illegal activity with increased mobility and flexibility and with advanced optical sensors,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, who leads U.S. Northern Command, in a statement. “The authority to transport CBP personnel during patrols means law enforcement personnel will be on-hand or nearby to conduct any necessary law enforcement activity.”
Military service members are prohibited from directly enforcing immigration law or any other civilian law enforcement activities.
Fort Carson is sending about 2,400 soldiers to the border with brigade. When the entire brigade arrives, the number of military service members along the border will reach 9,000, Northern Command said in early March.
Two destroyers also have been deployed to help deter illegal drug shipments in the Gulf of America, formerly the Gulf of Mexico.
Former President Joe Biden also sent troops to border to help with enforcement in 2023. At the time, they were focused on data entry, warehousing and monitoring efforts, according to a news release. They did not take on duties that would have brought them into direct contact with immigrants.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the number of Customs and Border Patrol immigration enforcement encounters has fallen sharply from 96,000 in December to 11,700 in February, according to the agency’s data.
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