Stryker armored vehicles deploy to US-Mexico border under Trump administration

EL PASO, Texas – As of this week, eight-wheeled armored warring vehicles known arsenic Strykers person been deployed to the borderline for the archetypal clip successful much than a decennary arsenic portion of the Pentagon’s enactment of Customs and Border Protection.

Fox News got the exclusive archetypal look astatine these vehicles and however the U.S. is utilizing them. 

According to Border Patrol, 2 are present stationed successful the El Paso sector, with much Strykers expected to beryllium deployed to different areas along the borderline successful the adjacent fewer weeks.

One of the Strykers is positioned to springiness a bird’s-eye presumption implicit Juárez, Mexico, a large smuggling corridor known for its precocious fig of "gotaways," amerciable migrants who negociate to flight borderline patrol agents.

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The Strykers astatine the borderline are not weaponized, the subject says. (Fox News)

"This is traditionally 1 of the busiest areas successful the full country," U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht said. 

Typically, these Strykers are utilized successful combat and tin beryllium equipped with cannons oregon instrumentality guns to combat enemies.

However, the Strykers astatine the borderline are not equipped with weapons, and the subject told Fox News it had nary plans of doing so. 

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Instead, the Strykers are being utilized present to assistance Border Patrol agents with surveillance, detecting amerciable migrants.

"One of the main things that it provides is the surveillance capableness with it," U.S. Army Sgt. Carlos Zamora said. "Once thing pops up, we conscionable telephone Border Patrol and past they rotation up connected america and marque the arrest," Zamaro said. 

The Strykers person infrared capabilities to spot up to 2 miles out, detecting amerciable migrants whom agents whitethorn not see. 

The Strykers are supporting the Department of Homeland Security. (Fox News)

"Our intent present is to enactment the Department of Homeland Security successful their mission, and arsenic we bash that, we person our capabilities with our optics," Lt. Colonel Chad Campbell of the 1-41 Infantry Battalion said. "We person some time and nighttime optics. We tin spot beauteous far."

The monolithic subject vehicles are being used not lone for detection, but besides arsenic a deterrent. 

On Thursday of this week, Border Patrol agents successful the El Paso Sector reported conscionable 32 encounters, compared to 1,134 encounters connected the aforesaid time successful 2024. 

As for wherefore these monolithic and costly vehicles would beryllium deployed to the borderline erstwhile numbers are astatine their lowest successful years, Border Patrol agents said they wanted to marque definite the numbers don’t emergence again. 

Fox News got a first-hand look astatine the deterrence and detection vehicles. (Fox News)

"The extremity is zero," Nikseresht said. "We're not determination yet, truthful we're going to bash everything we perchance tin to get america to that constituent and bring successful each assets we perchance can. . . . What amended mode to nonstop that connection than to bring successful a 55,000-pound armored conveyance with detection capabilities, maneuverability capabilities, unit proscription capabilities that by acold transcend thing other that we presently person successful our repertoire?" 

Border patrol agents told Fox News that cartels person had occupation uncovering migrants to smuggle crossed the border, due to the fact that fewer person wanted to hazard paying thousands of dollars conscionable to get deported. 

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"Let maine archer you a communicative we conscionable heard this morning," Nikseresht said. "Two radical walked up to the obstruction arsenic if they were getting acceptable to cross. They looked up the hill. They saw this monolithic conveyance sitting connected apical of the hill, and they turned around, and they walked away. You cognize what that says? That means cartels are scared. That means gangs are scared. They're frightened to travel into the United States illegally. They're frightened to enter, due to the fact that they cognize they volition beryllium detected, and they cognize determination volition beryllium a effect applied erstwhile they do."