U.S. Army snipers and security personnel take up defensive positions as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, as they provide security in the area of Sunland Park, N.M., during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to the Southern border on Feb. 3.
Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images
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Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images
An additional 2,500 to 3,000 troops have been ordered to the U.S.-Mexico border by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the latest in President Trump’s efforts to prevent illegal crossings.
A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on troop movements, confirmed the deployment to NPR. The orders, approved Friday, had been expected.
The official also told NPR that site visits have been completed at Fort Bliss, Texas, where thousands of migrants are expected to be detained.
Pentagon officials have said thousands more troops could be sent in the comings week and months.
The latest contingent of troops are from a
Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and General Support Aviation Battalion “to reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” according to a Department of Defense statement.
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border on his first day in office. Days after his inauguration, the Department of Defense ordered 1,500 troops to the border to assist Customs and Border Protection agents. An additional 2,500 National Guard troops had already been sent to the border during the Biden administration.
The latest troop deployment comes despite a sharp decline in the number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since a peak in 2021 — a number that has dropped even further since Trump took office.
