The US Navy warship USS Gravely is carrying out a mission to strengthen security on the US-Mexico border, Pentagon officials said, UNN writes, citing Axios.
Details
The deployment of the guided-missile destroyer, which last year participated in the destruction of Iranian-backed Houthi rebel ships in the Middle East, to a region normally guarded by the US Coast Guard, marks an escalation of the Trump administration's efforts to suppress migration policy at the border, the publication writes.
On Saturday, the USS Gravely departed from the Virginia Naval Weapons Base in Yorktown to the area of responsibility of the US Navy Northern Command, according to a statement from the combat command.
This area includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and surrounding waters up to approximately 500 nautical miles.
It is noted that USNORTHCOM has been named "the head of operations for the use of US armed forces" to carry out President Trump's border orders, and the ship "provides maritime capabilities" in response to them and the national emergency declaration.
According to a statement that does not specify details, the combat command is filling "critical gaps in support capabilities" of the US Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection.
The USS Gravely is involved in the US Department of Defense's response to President Trump's executive order on the border regarding "protecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and security of the United States," according to a statement by General Gregory Guillot, commander of the US Northern Command.
According to USNORTHCOM, this contributes to "a coordinated and powerful response to combating maritime terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction and illegal maritime immigration".
Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of the US Navy Northern Command, added in a statement that the deployment "marks a vital improvement in our nation's border security system".
A Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), specialized law enforcement groups in USGS maritime navigation, "will be deployed aboard Gravel," according to USNORTHCOM.
According to the statement, these teams carry out missions including anti-piracy, military operations, stopping illegal immigrants, "protecting military forces, combating terrorism, national security and humanitarian response".
Addition
US presidents have sent the military or the National Guard to the border region to assist the border patrol during crises, but sending Navy personnel is unusual, the publication writes.
This is because the border mostly runs overland through mountainous terrain and the thin Rio Grande River in Texas, which is sometimes difficult to navigate by boat.
The US Coast Guard typically patrols the Rio Grande area in the Gulf and outside of San Diego.
Critics say Trump is sending the military as a show, as border traffic is at a record low, and sending the Navy is another performative action, the publication points out.
Previous missions have attempted to stop unauthorized border crossings or the movement of drugs by cartels through isolated areas.