Biden admin withdraws troops from border amid new spike in migrants

The Biden administration is poised to pull troops from the southern border despite rising migrant crossings.

An anonymous Department of Defense official he said Associated Press that the Pentagon will withdraw 1,100 troops from the border on August 8. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first sent the troops in May for a 90-day stay amid the migrant surge surrounding the expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era rule that allowed officials to turn migrants away. Austin has authorized 400 troops to remain on the border until August 31.

The withdrawn troops help with tasks such as warehouse support and data entry, freeing up Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, officials say.

The removal comes as the border sees an increase in footfall, particularly in Arizona, the Texas Tribune reported:

US agents made more than 130,000 arrests along the Mexican border last month, preliminary figures show, up from 99,545 in June. Authorities allowed an additional 50,000 migrants to cross into the U.S. in July, primarily through Biden administration programs that allowed asylum seekers to schedule appointments at U.S. ports of entry using the CBP One mobile app .

The increase in illegal crossings was most pronounced in the deserts of southern Arizona, despite daytime temperatures that often exceeded 110 degrees. U.S. agents made about 40,000 arrests in July, the highest one-month total for the Tucson sector in 15 years, CBP data show.

The news comes after the Washington Free Beacon reported that the White House is ignoring its own limits on asylum seekers and allowing more migrants into the country.