The Heritage Foundation has released a report titled “How the President Can Use the U.S. Military to Confront the Catastrophic Threat at the Border with Mexico.” The document outlines strategies for deploying the Department of Defense to address escalating threats at the southern border amid deteriorating conditions and limited cooperation from Mexico.
Robert Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security and author of the report, highlighted previous efforts by the Trump administration to secure the border under Border Czar Tom Homan. He noted that "the massive scale of the Biden border crisis and the resulting fentanyl epidemic will require resources beyond the scale of our law enforcement agencies."
Greenway emphasized that since 1916, military support has been integral in supplementing border security operations, including surveillance and deportation. He suggested that if necessary, "the president can employ our forces directly against the Mexican cartels." According to Greenway, all available resources should be utilized to restore national borders and reduce threats to American lives, including those from the Department of Defense.
Key points from the report include:
- Article II of the U.S. Constitution grants presidential authority to use military force when foreign incursions threaten U.S. citizens or sovereignty.
- The military can enhance defense measures at the border through intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance capacities, and confronting cartels.
- Historically, military facilities have managed migration crises effectively, as seen during Haitian migrations in the 1990s and post-Vietnam War refugee resettlements.
- Military bases have previously housed large groups of detainees due to limited ICE funding for detainee beds.
Heritage Senior Policy Analyst Andrés Martínez-Fernández and Policy Advisor Wilson Beaver stressed that serious planning is needed for an enhanced military role at this juncture. They called on Congress to ensure sufficient funding is allocated or redirected for these initiatives.
"Now, more than ever," they stated, "the U.S. must engage in serious planning and preparation for an enhanced and scalable military role in confronting broad threats at its border with Mexico." They urged swift congressional action to facilitate these recommendations effectively.
