US troops deployed to the Mexican border, got in the White house, a document authorizing the use of weapons against immigrants participating in the caravan, if they try to break through.
John Kelly Authorizing the Troops to Use Lethal Force at the Border Is Unlawful and Alarming | By Heather Hurlburthttps://t.co/oKuQvc7Fjq
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The white house was allowed to open fire
The publication of the Central United States, citing Мilitary Times, argued that «order» came to the troops, signed chief of staff of the White house of John Kelly. A document never published, but the White house has not refuted its existence and has not commented on the fuss.
The document allows U.S. military personnel, located on the southern border to protect border guards and customs officers display weapons, threaten weapon and use it to kill, and to detain people or to persecute them. The order for the 5 900 soldiers of the 2100 soldiers of the National Guard protecting the border.
Donald trump (whose signature, however, on paper there is) November 1, orally stated that the troops can «fight back» if the participants of the caravan of migrants, will throw stones at the military: «When they throw stones, as they did against the Mexican military and police, I say consider it an attack.» He also has noticed that «the troops deployed not for show.»
Order or just a letter?
Critics of the document believe that the order violates the Kelly Act of the Committee posse from 1878, adopted immediately after the Civil war and prohibiting the use of the army in the country.
Of course, American soldiers have the right to use weapons for self-defense, but not in the same composition of the entire battalion. Unless, of course, the Pentagon, following the well-known example, do not prepare all 5.9 thousand of its soldiers on the border «vacation»… More us troops have additional rights to participate in operations against drug trafficking, but they do not «stretch» to what is happening on the Mexican border.
Order Kelly raises many other questions. The head of the White house has no authority to give orders to the military. In the past, there were cases when the White house sent «memoranda of the Cabinet», but they just explained the official orders of the President. Command chief of staff of the White house by law can only by employees of your machine.
General John Francis Kelly
General John Francis Kelly, of course, has a certain authority in the army. Is since 1970, took part in the fighting in Yugoslavia and Iraq, lost son, the officer, who was killed in Afghanistan, led the Southern command, responsible for Latin American direction and is familiar with the situation on the border with Mexico. However, at the moment he is a civilian who is not part of the structure of command and control. The order could be given only by the President, or at least the army command. Perhaps the General just said that «is ready to be extreme», releasing trump from liability if at the border will reach the blood.
Soldiers were allowed to shoot, but the weapon is not given
To some it may seem that the legal side is given too much attention. After all, the situation on the border has developed emergency and requires immediate solutions. But lawyers say that such use of the army may become a precedent and will allow in the future any President to throw troops on any dissent within the country, ignoring U.S. laws.
At the moment there is no precise information, how much is in the caravans of U.S. citizens (journalists and human rights defenders), which can also suffer in the case of the use of troops weapons.
The Minister of defence of the USA James Mattis, confirmed, the letter Kelly, however, noted that the military on the border with Mexico have now armed. He also pointed to the difference of the meaning of the words «detain» and «arrest». «No one to arrest us troops can’t, but can deliver the offender into the hands of the guards or police, who make arrests».
