Additional Troops to the Border “Undermines Military Readiness”

Washington, D.C.—In response to today’s request from the Trump Administration for $4.5 billion dollars for border security, including for additional troops at the border, Human Rights First’s Bishop Garrision, the leader of Veterans for American Ideals, released the following statement:

Deploying additional troops to the border is an unnecessary response to this administration’s fiasco at the border. The move is extremely detrimental to the morale and readiness of our military.

The families seeking refuge from violence and persecution need humanitarian aid and a functioning asylum system. Instead they’re met with a military response, professionals without the proper skill sets for the task at hand, and an administration that seeks to dismantle the system at every turn.

This move undermines military readiness and our nation’s moral character. As the commandant of the Marine Corps has said, deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border poses an “unacceptable risk to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency.”