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The Life Of Troops Posted At The Border

WUNC | By Steve Walsh,
Laura Pellicer, Frank Stasio
Published June 18, 2019 at 12:22 PM EDT
Army Brig. Gen. Walter Duzzny speaks to border patrol agents in Sunland Park, N.M. during a June media event at the U.S. Mexico border.
Christina Westover
/
U.S. Army
Army Brig. Gen. Walter Duzzny speaks to border patrol agents in Sunland Park, N.M. during a June media event at the U.S. Mexico border.

Thousands of military personnel were deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border in the fall of last year. At the time President Donald Trump said their purpose was tobolster security and help reduce illegal border crossings. Frank Stasio talks with KPBS military and veterans reporter Steve Walsh about his reporting on troops at the US border.

According to new reporting from Steve Walsh, soldiers and marines posted there now have little direct contact with migrants. Border Patrol agents are still the ones responsible for active surveillance and making arrests of migrants who attempt to enter the country illegally. Deployed troops are monitoring mobile surveillance cameras and are also occupied with tasks like stringing up concertina wire and painting the border fence.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Steve Walsh, military and veterans reporter for KPBS, about his reporting as part of the American Homefront Project.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio
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News BorderAmerican HomefrontMilitary
Steve Walsh
Military and Veterans Reporter, Norfolk, Virginia
See stories by Steve Walsh
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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