re: #72 Joe Bacon ✅

Revealed: Trump reportedly plans to deploy hundreds of thousands of troops in U.S.

If Trump wins a second term as president he might launch a Southern Border “war,” according to a Rolling Stone report.

The outlet spoke to multiple sources claiming the 45th president, who has already pledged (he later claimed jokingly) that he would rule the country on day one as a “dictator” — would deploy possibly “hundreds of thousands” of troops near the border dividing Mexico and install makeshift detention camps to quarter immigrants, the Rolling Stone story detailed.

To do this, Trump has reportedly been gaming out ways with his close allies on how to amass a “surge” of federal troops to seal the U.S.-Mexico border.

The ambitious plans are believed to have stemmed from Trump’s top immigration aide, Stephen Miller, who tussled with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in an attempt to fortify the region with 250,000 troops while the nation was hamstrung in the pandemic.

He’s called for “many thousands” to tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of soldiers to be posted there (even pulling some from bases in Germany), according to various sources who spoke with the outlet.

“I have heard anywhere between 100,000 to 300,000 from President Trump, Stephen Miller, and others on what may be required to get the job done right,” one of the people familiar with the matter says. “There are differences of opinion on how many you would actually need, and everyone has their own ideas…. Nothing is set in stone.”

The idea of a Southern Border deployment isn’t entirely Trumpian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to send troops there in some fashion.

“I’m going to have the military at the border, 100%,” he told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell.

And Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said in the last GOP debate: “We’re going to smoke the terrorists on our own Southern Border and that’s how I’m going to lead this country.”

Attempts by Trump to wield unprecedented military might at the edge of the country during his first term were thwarted by his own top officials like Esper. Still, Trump managed to send 5,200 active-duty National Guard troops to man the border and set up barriers.

The second go-around the former president would, according to the outlet, fill his roster of aides with “MAGA-friendly” attorneys so that the policies can become “perfectly legal,” according to sources who spoke with the outlet.

He will likely run up against the Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids American presidents from utilizing the military as a domestic police force.

rollingstone.com

A quick check shows there are about 500,000 active army personnel based in the US. The National Guard is about the same. So a quarter of the entire land-based forces of the US along the border, doing police work.

I want to see the head of logistics when assigned to deal with making this happen. Along some of the most desolate in the US, without good roads or infrastructure. Should be fun.