President Joe Biden issued an executive order authorizing active-duty armed forces reservists to be called up to address “international drug trafficking” at the southern border. He did so ahead of the public health authority Title 42 ending in less than two weeks, on May 11.
Biden issued the order under the National Emergencies Act and in furtherance of an executive order he issued on Dec. 15, 2021, “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.” That executive order “declared a national emergency to address the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by international drug trafficking.”
The latest executive order, issued Thursday, authorizes the Defense Secretary “to respond to the national emergency.” It directs the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force to call up active-duty reservists who would likely be sent to the southern border. The order also authorizes the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to direct the Coast Guard to call up active-duty reservists.