WTF is this? Trump ordered 800 troops to the border?

[TreasonousBastard]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/us/politics/trump-army-border-mexico.html

WASHINGTON — President Trump is preparing to order at least 800 United States Army troops to help secure the southern border, a Defense Department official said on Thursday, intensifying efforts to block immigrants from entering the United States amid an election-season push by the president to stoke fears of what he has called an “onslaught” of migrants.

Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, is expected to sign papers as early as Thursday to send the troops. They will include engineers to help with the construction of tents and fencing, doctors for medical support, and potentially some personnel to operate drones along the border, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment about the deployment before it is finalized.

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Weren't we talking about this yesterday?

[nature-lover]

1. Separating families at the border again???

Hard to beat the headlines of the bombs today, but family separation potential needs to come screaming back.

[vlyons]

2. It's a distraction

He's trying to move the conversation back to immigrants and away from how his hateful speech has energized and motivated violence. Keep the conversation about his speech

[nature-lover]

7. If the immigration issue is framed as a separation issue, he loses the messaging advantage.

Both issues demonstrate how totally unfit and dangerous he is for our country.

[spanone]

3. Using our troops as political pawns.

[SolidBlueDem]

4. Clearly trying to make this the top news story after yesterday derailed it

Not a surprise.

[atreides1]

5. 800 Troops!

An Army Mechanized Infantry Battalion! The closest post would be Fort Hood or Fort Bliss, both in Texas!

This should be interesting!!!

[FSogol]

13. 1-800-TROOPS! Call Now. National Guardsmen are going to be standing around.

[Ilsa]

6. Which part of the border?

Isn't the caravan headed for Tijuana? What good is it to send troops to texas or NM If that is where the troops are going?

[klook]

8. Pure theater. (nt)

[lapfog_1]

10. The closest border to them would be Brownsville TX.

But I don't know where they are headed.

[unblock]

9. He will say they're being sent to prevent an invasion of rabid lions

Then when no rabid lions invade us, he'll boast that it was due to his genius military show of strength.

[MineralMan]

11. I saw a mention of it yesterday.

It's a symbolic thing. Trump gets to trumpet that the Army's headed there, to "protect the border from the hordes of bad people."

But, there's nothing the Army will do. They're not going to shoot a bunch of civilian migrants. So, what they'll probably do is show up at one border crossing and set up camp. Then, the migrants will go to another border crossing.

The last I saw, they were supposed be going to the California border. There are crossings that are much closer for them to walk to. And it's going to take them another month or probably longer to get to any of the crossings.

Trump's just showboating, the asshole! There is no real plan.

[Freethinker65]

12. Let him do it without comment. He is commander in chief.

Honestly, sending troops gives Trump an alpha male hard on, but it also exposes the caravan threat as actually pretty common and NOT very threatening and relatively easy for 800, or fewer, troops to take care of. Trump's argument for a stupid ass monumental wall in his honor will fall flat.

Give credit to the troops for being able to so easily diffuse the non-threatening situation. Expose the border wall anti-immigrant people for the fear monger Ig racists they are.

[brooklynite]

14. He ordered troops to the border earlier this year...big whoopie

It's all for show

[ghostsinthemachine]

15. Bush and Obama did the same thing.

Without the fanfare of course.

[ghostsinthemachine]

16. The caravan is 1000 miles from the border.

Walking day and night, it would take two months to enter the US. Yesterday they did 25 miles. And lost a lot of caravaners in the process. Do the math.

He must think we are idiots.