Mattis says he has extra authority to use military on border 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy the Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday the White House has given him explicit authority to use military troops to protect Customs and Border Protection personnel, with lethal force if necessary, at the southwest border. “This is minutes — not even hours” of potential detention, Mattis said, suggesting that he was not planning to use the military to operate migrant detention camps. The mission thus far for the approximately 5,800 active-duty troops in the border area has been mainly to lay barbed wire and other barriers along the border and to transport border patrol personnel. Mattis said that as of Wednesday there were 5,764 active-duty troops performing support missions along the border in Texas, Arizona and California.

Source: Manila Bulletin November 22, 2018 01:41 UTC