DHS wants National Guard to search for and transport unaccompanied migrant children
Tensions between DOD and DHS over cost
The Pentagon is also being asked by DHS to pay the full cost of deploying the 21,000 National Guard troops. That comes amid growing tension between the Pentagon and DHS over the cost of border and other immigrant-related operations.
The DHS request for National Guard troops comes as the Pentagon is already footing a $23-million-a-month bill to hold as many as 2,500 undocumented immigrants in a military facility in Texas. Defense officials say they are frustrated that the camp is holding far fewer than they were told to expect and they want a reprieve.
The Defense Department is in a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to help support DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, officers who are under pressure from Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants each day.
But it has been slow going for ICE agents, resulting in fewer arrests of undocumented immigrants across the country. That has resulted in many empty beds at facilities like one in El Paso, owned and operated by the Defense Department.
Military officials say the facility has been holding an average of 150 undocumented immigrants each day over the last several weeks — a fraction of its 2,500 beds. On one recent day, they said, the facility housed fewer than 80 people.
Pentagon officials are asking to cut the number of beds in the facility from 2,500 to about 1,000, which they say would save $12 million per month. It is not clear if the DHS request for National Guard troops will increase the need for beds in the facility.
The DHS request also comes as the Pentagon is struggling to fund critical projects to support U.S. troops.
“Congress is aware that the department is redirecting funds from existing military construction projects like barracks improvements for lower enlisted personnel and longstanding infrastructure projects elsewhere in the world in favor of southwest border missions,” a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity told NBC News.
“They are pretty frustrated with the way that the department is ordering them to support DHS out of their own pockets for a grossly disproportionate cost compared to what ICE facilities would cost the government,” added the aide, referring to military officials.
Last month, the Pentagon notified Congress that they plan to transfer more than $1.74 million in the current DOD budget to the southwest border mission, which will include taking money away from renovating barracks and base facilities.
Service member advocacy groups have criticized the move. Rob Evans, the founder of Hots&Cots, where services members can post reviews of barracks, dining facilities and other facilities, says he sees evidence daily of barracks with sewage leaks, mold, failing HVAC systems, and more.
“When funding is pulled from this line, troops pay the price in real ways: delayed repairs, worsening conditions, and a growing sense that their well-being comes second to optics and operations,” Evans said. “Service members deserve clean, safe, and dignified living conditions. They’ve earned at least that much.”
