Hanna Bogorowski, DCNF
Secretary of Defense James Mattis Wednesday visited the troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border and gave them some inspiring words ahead of the arrival of a migrant caravan slowly making its way through Mexico toward the U.S.
The Department of Defense’s latest estimate suggests there will be more than 7,000 troops at various positions in Arizona, California and Texas, according to CNBC. Their responsibility will involve erecting barriers and helping the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with other logistical tasks.
Mattis spoke directly to the troops on his trip.
“In the Army, we don’t care if you’re male or female, we don’t care where you go to church or if you go to church,” he said. “We just care when there’s trouble out there, will you keep the faith, will you ride for the brand, and when trouble looms, do you go toward the trouble to help your buddies.”
LIVE: Defense Sec. James Mattis visits troops at U.S.-Mexico border. https://t.co/UUidbYjZnr
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 14, 2018
“Loyalty only matters when there’s a hundred reasons not to be loyal,” Mattis told the troops. “When it’s raining and you’re cold. It’s when you’re in a position where people are showing a lack of respect for each other elsewhere and you and your team are holding strong.”
“Nothing can shake you,” Mattis added.
The defense secretary announced after visiting with military personnel that he does not expect law enforcement to come in direct contact with any of the migrants, a fear that arose after President Donald Trump announced the military will treat rocks thrown by migrants at troops as firearms.
“Department of Defense missions do not involve military personnel at this time directly participating in any law enforcement,” Mattis said. “Law enforcement is left in the hands of customs and border police [which] will have the statutory authority to carry that out.”
“At the present, I do not anticipate military personnel coming into direct contact with migrants,” he added.
"It's obviously a moral and ethical mission to support our border patrolmen," Sec. James Mattis says as he travels to visit U.S. troops deployed to the southern border in anticipation of the arrival of a migrant caravan winding north toward the U.S. https://t.co/20NWyqSGql pic.twitter.com/aIYfEK1MXz
— ABC News (@ABC) November 14, 2018
“This country may not be perfect, but you’re going to have to go a long way to find a country more willing to look itself in the eye and say we’ve got to improve here,” Mattis said to the troops.
The Pentagon originally assigned the mission of the ongoing deployment of troops to the southwest border as “Operation Faithful Patriot,” but dropped the name days later. A few reports claimed the name drop was to reflect that the troops are not part of an actual operation, a term typically associated with combat situations.
Mattis addressed the name change Wednesday, saying he didn’t want to “put this mission in some arcane military terms.”
“I want to talk to the American people, because this is a highly politically visible issue,” Mattis told reporters. “I want you [the media] to tell them what we’re doing. I want you to tell them we are operating in support of customs or of border police. Do not say we’re supporting a federal agency.”
Mattis asked reporters to stop using military terms when writing on the border deployment.
Email tips to [email protected]
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- The Florida candidate laser-focused on eradicating horrific animal crimes - March 22, 2024
- Sabo: ‘Rush was our GOAT, there was no equal and he made it look easy’ - February 18, 2024
- Dana Bash appears to want to crawl out of her own skin when Ramaswamy ‘goes there’ on J6 - December 7, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
