JUST IN: Pentagon declined Trump request for troops to build detention facilities at border: report hill.cm/PA8FrMA
The Pentagon denied a White House request to allow the U.S. military to build facilities to house detained migrants at the U.S-Mexico border, Reuters reported Monday.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the Defense Department rejected the preliminary request, which would have been part of its new mission on the southern border.
The Pentagon also, late last month, declined a request from the Trump administration to allow troops to perform emergency law enforcement tasks along the border weeks ahead of the arrival of thousands of migrants preparing to apply for asylum in the U.S.
In that instance, the White House requested a reserve force authorized to provide "crowd and traffic control" to areas along the border and protect Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) personnel.
The Pentagon rejected the request on Oct. 26 as the department felt that the tasks fell outside active duty soldiers' authority.
The two rejected requests highlight the disconnect between the White House and the Pentagon over the use of military resources to bolster border security...
thehill.com/policy/defense/414955-pentagon-declined-white-house-request-for-troops-to-build-detention-facilities