The Role of the US Military at the Southern Border

President Donald Trump is surging resources to America’s southern border, including military personnel, and has every right to do so, according to Robert Greenway.

“It is not unprecedented for the military to be called in [to the border] when the capacity of our law enforcement agencies is exceeded, and that’s almost certainly the case now,” said Greenway, director of the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation.

In a new Heritage report titled, “How the President Can Use the U.S. Military to Confront the Catastrophic Threat at the Border with Mexico,” Greenway, who is also a former member of the National Security Council, Greenway breaks down the specific ways the military can step in to secure the border.

The military can help in three general capacities at the border, Greenway explains. First, the military can help with transportation and housing of illegal aliens in the deportation process. Second, the military can provide assistance with the physical security of the border through increased personnel, surveillance, and assistance in the construction of the border wall. And finally, the military can work outside of the U.S. with other countries to help them police their own borders more effectively.

“I think there’s a huge role for the military to play, and advise, equip, support, and assist our partners and allies south of the border,” he said. “The military is uniquely capable of doing that.”

Greenway joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss past cases in which the U.S. deployed the military to the U.S. border, and why it is an effective strategy for stopping the flood of illegal immigration.