WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2018) White Chief Staff John Kelly's decision to sign a memorandum authorizing US troops to use lethal force if necessary on the land border with Mexico was legally dubious and could lead to violence, Human Rights First President Michael Breen said in a statement.
"This legally dubious 'cabinet order' creates confusion, undermines morale, and may very well lead to violence," Breen said on Wednesday. "Americans should be thankful that those currently serving are likely to exhibit more judgment than their commander in chief."
President Donald Trump was asking US service members to spend Thanksgiving at the border in furtherance of a partisan agenda, Breen said.
"Now, the White House is upping the ante by authorizing those service members to use lethal force against refugees, migrants, and others at the border," he said.
Kelly said the authorization was necessary because US intelligence suggested that thousands of migrants who had made their way to the US border checkpoint near Tijuana, Mexico, could prompt incidents of violence against border agents.
