As part of a plan to prevent migrants and asylum-seekers from entering the U.S. through San Diego, Mexico is sending 15,000 National Guard troops. The troops will stand post from Tijuana all the way to Tamaulipas, which borders Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. The brand new National Guard comprises of the Mexican military along with federal law enforcement.
However, this is not the first time that the Mexican government has had to utilize the military for border issues. Earlier in the month, troops were sent to the Mexico-Guatemala border because of the mass influx of people trying to escape to Mexico from countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
The sudden action from the Mexican government resulted from the efforts of President Trump to fix immigration policies, specifically at the U.S.-Mexico border. Utilizing economic threats, such as placing a five percent tariff on imports, the president was able to motivate Mexico to start addressing the immigration issue.
Once Mexico confirmed their promised action, President Trump eased up on the tariff threats. Mexico had agreed to take action back in March during meetings with then Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, but little changed until recently.
San Diego has been housing a large number of migrants and asylum-seekers who are awaiting the results of their cases. The number soared, however, when the Department of Homeland Security relocated immigrants from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to San Diego because of a wave of immigration in that area. Currently, the number of detainees in San Diego is estimated to be about 4,500, a substantial increase from even a few months ago.
