The Trump administration authorized the deployment of an additional 1,115 service members to the southern border on Thursday, as part of President Trump’s initiative to secure the US-Mexico border.
With this new wave of deployments, the total number of US troops stationed at the border will approach 10,000, significantly surpassing the 2,500 National Guardsmen that former President Joe Biden had positioned there at the conclusion of his term.
At present, over 8,000 service members are actively engaged in patrolling the US-Mexico border, providing support in the air, at sea, and on land, according to a spokesperson from US Northern Command.
The incoming units will provide âenhanced sustainment, engineering, medical, and operational capabilities as part of the Department of Defenseâs continued whole-of-government approach to gain full operational control of the southern border,â US Northern Command said in a statement.Â
Approved elements for deployment include members of the Armyâs Expeditionary Sustainment Command, to coordinate logistics, and the Quartermaster Field Feeding Company, to ensure troops get enough to eat in the harsh environments.Â
About half of the 1,115 soldiers set for deployment are attached to engineering companies, battalions and brigades and will be tasked with construction-oriented missions.Â
Trumpâs âbig, beautifulâ agenda bill, which cleared the House of Representatives early Thursday morning, provides $175 billion in spending on border security â including $46.5 billion for new border wall construction.
The legislation still needs to be approved by the Senate.
Illegal border crossings from Mexico have hit historic lows since Trump took office in January.Â
Last month, federal agents encountered fewer than 10,000 migrants crossing the southern border illegally, marking a 93% decrease from the more than 128,000 people who streamed across last April during the Biden administration, Border Patrol statistics show.
Trumpâs Day One executive order on border security ordered the US military to âdefend the sovereignty and territorial integrityâ of the US by repelling illegal migrants, drug smugglers and human traffickers seeking to enter the country between ports of entry.Â
Apart from sending more troops, Trump has also authorized the military to take control of large swaths of federal land along the southern border in order to accomplish the mission.
