U.S. authorities hope that the effort will cut off popular routes to the United States and deter migrants from beginning their journeys north through Mexico. Plans call for at least several dozen DHS agents and investigators, and one DHS official briefed on the plans said about 80 U.S. law enforcement personnel will deploy as part of the mission. Another DHS official said Immigration and Customs Enforcement will send 18 Homeland Security Investigations agents and intelligence analysts, along with six agents from the Enforcement and Removal Operations division. According to DHS officials, 3 percent of Huehuetenango’s entire population has left for the United States in the past seven months. The letter, asking for the United States to send military personnel, was obtained by The Washington Post.

Source: Washington Post May 31, 2019 21:47 UTC