Hundreds of U.S. troops are now living at the border in a muddy camp with nothing to do

[TheCount]

DONNA, Texas — It's been unseasonable cold, and wet, at this site of a new U.S. base camp that's now home to several hundred active-duty U.S. Army soldiers. They’re part of the more than 5,000 troops Donald Trump deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of the midterms to ward off the so-called caravan of migrants headed north from Central America. It's a huge taxpayer expense — estimated cost: $200 million — but the troops have virtually nothing to do.

Here at Base Camp Donna, 10 miles east of McAllen, Army engineers have built facilities to accommodate a long-term deployment: It now has hot showers, laundry facilities, and a kitchen to produce two hot meals a day. The medical tent is outfitted for handling all manner of injuries, but there's been nothing much besides mosquito bites and scrapes from the concertina wire they're putting up.

Many of the soldiers here have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, except here, there’s no enemy to fight and no immediate action needed. The migrant caravan they're supposed to be responding to is weeks away and headed to Tijuana, 1,500 miles to the West. The only concrete mission the troops have engaged in so far is “hardening” parts of the border with the spiked wire.

When that’s done, said Major Derek Wamsley, a public affairs officer at the base, “we move back here and wait for the next request from Customs and Border Protection.”

Video:
https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/t...40771fe943095c

Text:
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/...-nothing-to-do

[Swordsmyth]

They should be patrolling the border.

[angelatc]

Get them started on constructing a permanant base.


The anti-war left suddenly upset that these troops aren't fighting bad guys in the Middle East. #Shocked

[spudea]

There are currently troops at the Tijuana crossing now too. Headline says "nothing to do", but then says they are actively hardening the border in response to requests from CBP. The initial waves of the caravan have been bussed to the border and its already reported they are in Tijuana. Hardening the border in Texas allows the CBP to redeploy enforcement measures elsewhere.

Common sense is completely missing from the OP.

[r3volution 3.0]

Nothing says freedom like taxing productive citizens to finance a politically motivated boondoggle.

[Swordsmyth]

Nothing says freedom like taxing productive citizens to finance a politically motivated boondoggle.

Nothing says freedom like allowing millions of communists to invade and impose communism.

[oyarde]

Illegals are moving on Zippy in San Diego now . Uncertain if he has obtained minimum wage jobs for all of them yet . Stay tuned .

[Anti Federalist]

The anti-war left suddenly upset that these troops aren't fighting bad guys in the Middle East. #Shocked

And actually doing their constitutional duty, repelling invasion...

But it's a pointless exercise, I'll grant that.

You can't turn back an invading army with conventional forces, when that invading army's arsenal has no guns, no tanks, no air support.

That invading army's weapons of damnable pity and smug self righteousness has already defeated a legion of self loathing AmeriKunts who hate their traditions, homeland and their own skin.

[Schifference]

I would rather see the military in this country on this side of the border than abroad in countries were we have no business.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

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[angelatc]

And actually doing their constitutional duty, repelling invasion...

But it's a pointless exercise, I'll grant that.

You can't turn back an invading army with conventional forces, when that invading army's arsenal has no guns, no tanks, no air support.

That invading army's weapons of damnable pity and smug self righteousness has already defeated a legion of self loathing AmeriKunts who hate their traditions, homeland and their own skin.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...-border-fence/

Hours after images of migrants climbing a border wall in San Diego went viral, the Homeland Security Department deployed razor wire Wednesday to prevent a repeat.

The immigrants, who said they were the vanguard of the caravans streaming north through Mexico, ascended the fence Tuesday in a display of defiance. Video and photos showed them cheering and jeering atop the slat-style fence.

[TheCount]

Get them started on constructing a permanant base.

There are already permanent military bases near the border. White Sands is right next to El Paso and Ft Huachuca is next to Nogales.

[CaptainAmerica]

Nothing says freedom like taxing productive citizens to finance a politically motivated boondoggle.

thats your opinion. own a house in southern Arizona and tell me how long you last with people crossing your yard illegally human trafficking, and smuggling drugs such as black tar heroine and cocaine.

[RJ Liberty]

thats your opinion. own a house in southern Arizona and tell me how long you last with people crossing your yard illegally human trafficking, and smuggling drugs such as black tar heroine and cocaine.

As a homeowner in southern Arizona, I've lasted a good number of years. While I don't like the idea of drugs being smuggled across my property, the War on Drugs, not illegals, caused that.

[nobody's_hero]

I would rather see the military in this country on this side of the border than abroad in countries were we have no business.

Same.

[angelatc]

There are already permanent military bases near the border. White Sands is right next to El Paso and Ft Huachuca is next to Nogales.

OK, then get them started on ANOTHER permanent base.

[Danke]

OK, then get them started on ANOTHER permanent base.

Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, AZ is close to border, so is Ft. Bliss in El Paso, White Sands is a missile testing range, a bit further north.

[Zippyjuan]

There are currently troops at the Tijuana crossing now too. Headline says "nothing to do", but then says they are actively hardening the border in response to requests from CBP. The initial waves of the caravan have been bussed to the border and its already reported they are in Tijuana. Hardening the border in Texas allows the CBP to redeploy enforcement measures elsewhere.

Common sense is completely missing from the OP.

They ran a few strips of wire on top of existing walls. But the migrants aren't expected to try climbing any walls. When they try to cross, they will walk up to border personnel, turn themselves in and request asylum. They also set up a few tents to house them if they come across.

They won't be engaged in any military action or apprehension of any immigrants.

Trump has gone silent on the border since the election ended. Guess he doesn't have to scare people into voting anymore.

Whatever happened to that mooslim invasion we were supposed to be afraid of too?

[spudea]

They ran a few strips of wire on top of existing walls. But the migrants aren't expected to try climbing any walls. When they try to cross, they will walk up to border personnel, turn themselves in and request asylum. They also set up a few tents to house them if they come across.

They won't be engaged in any military action or apprehension of any immigrants.

Trump has gone silent on the border since the election ended. Guess he doesn't have to scare people into voting anymore.

Whatever happened to that mooslim invasion we were supposed to be afraid of too?

He already took the needed actions. Do you miss posting about him so much you expect him to tweet about it every day? Please get mental help. I'm sure you'll hear from him as the points of entry become overwhelmed, 99% of asylum claims will be denied, and that's when you'll see the border jumpers and wall climbers, and attacking border patrol just like they did in Mexico.

[Zippyjuan]

He already took the needed actions. Do you miss posting about him so much you expect him to tweet about it every day? Please get mental help. I'm sure you'll hear from him as the points of entry become overwhelmed, 99% of asylum claims will be denied, and that's when you'll see the border jumpers and wall climbers, and attacking border patrol just like they did in Mexico.

After 9/11, everybody was worried about terror attacks. When Bush was running for re-election he would put out a vague "increased terror alert" whenever he slipped in the polls. Miraculously, after the election no such alerts were issued. Now the election is over, Trump stops pushing the immigration thing.

[Anti Federalist]

Whatever happened to that mooslim invasion we were supposed to be afraid of too?

Still ongoing, tens of thousands every year.

[Kilrain]

Whatever happened to that mooslim invasion we were supposed to be afraid of too?

It's bigger and faster than the Migration Period invasions...

The migrants comprised war bands or tribes of 10,000 to 20,000 people,[5] but in the course of 100 years they numbered not more than 750,000 in total, compared to an average 39.9 million population of the Roman Empire at that time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_Period

[CaptainAmerica]

As a homeowner in southern Arizona, I've lasted a good number of years. While I don't like the idea of drugs being smuggled across my property, the War on Drugs, not illegals, caused that.

was the chicken or the egg first?



Illegal immigration was first. Criminals saw the opportunity.

[Origanalist]

was the chicken or the egg first?



Illegal immigration was first. Criminals saw the opportunity.

If it wasn't a crime there would be no opportunity.

[Swordsmyth]

was the chicken or the egg first?



Illegal immigration was first. Criminals saw the opportunity.

And crime is only a secondary concern anyway (although it is still a major one), it is what they do to our politics that is absolutely deadly.

[Swordsmyth]

If it wasn't a crime there would be no opportunity.

There are lots of crimes that should be crimes that would create opportunities.

[Origanalist]

There are lots of crimes that should be crimes that would create opportunities.

Small potatoes compared to drugs. The influence would be drastically reduced.

[CaptainAmerica]

And crime is only a secondary concern anyway (although it is still a major one), it is what they do to our politics that is absolutely deadly.

national security....is absolutely number 1, and that alone is an assault on our very fabric of society , the civil law.

[Swordsmyth]

national security....is absolutely number 1, and that alone is an assault on our very fabric of society , the civil law.

That is an acute threat but we can handle it if it flares up, the political demographic problem is a chronic illness that will kill us with absolute certainty if we don't cure it early, we are close to the point of no return now.

[goldenequity]

Mexico: 2,000-strong migrant caravan arrives at US border in Tijuana