ALPINE — On Friday morning, officials from the Department of Defense (DOD) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a press conference in Alpine to field questions from local media outlets about the military deployment underway in the region. Since March 13, over 200 troops have been deployed to the tri-county area, with plans for up to 500 over the next few weeks, officials said.
Major Jared Stefani explained that these troops will be involved in “enhanced surveillance and detection,” and will not be responsible for arresting and detaining folks suspected of breaking immigration law. “We are committed to providing the necessary support to ensure the security of our nation’s border and provide world-class support to the Big Bend Sector Border Patrol, who is the lead agency in this operation,” he said.
For last week’s issue, The Big Bend Sentinel reported on tentative plans to house soldiers at large encampments at the Marfa and Presidio airports. Those plans have not yet been set in stone, said Lieutenant Colonel Sarah J. Ray, the 10th Mountain Division’s chief of public affairs.
During the question and answer period of the conference, the The Sentinel asked the gathered representatives about policies related to the use of deadly force, referencing the killing of Presidio High School senior Esequiel Hernandez by a Marine on line watch with Joint Task Force 6 in 1997. “With our standard rules for the use of force, soldiers do have the right to defend themselves,” Stefani explained.
Lloyd Easterling, the Big Bend Sector’s new Chief Patrol Agent, said that the CBP and DOD’s joint strategy under the Trump administration is much different from what the Big Bend region saw in the 90s. Rather than having military personnel in ghillie suits staking out the river, this deployment will be highly visible, with some units patrolling the area in large Stryker vehicles. “Nobody’s going to be hidden, everything will be in plain sight,” he said. “We want people to see where [the troops] are — it’s a method of deterrence.”