White House Allows Troops To Use Force To Protect Border Agents Chief of Staff John Kelly signed a "Cabinet order" on Tuesday expanding the authority of troops at the border to include "a show or use of force (including lethal force, where necessary), crowd control, temporary detention, and cursory search" in order to protect border agents, ...... https://www.axios.com/border-troops-use-of-force-posse-comitatus-b23bca0a-715d-451a-8c3e-c37ee997fe13.html