The US Pentagon is sending extra 1500 active troops to the southern border by the end of the month, a US official told Fox News on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear exactly which units would be sent, although the Trump administration is expected to make a formal announcement later Wednesday.
Already 2,500 American soldiers are stationed in southern border. The troops were sent there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under Title 10 authority, were approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are scheduled to be there through the end of fiscal year 2025, according to a spokesman for the US Northern Command.
An additional 1,500 troops will deploy to various locations along the southern border by the end of the month, a US official said.
The US Pentagon is sending an additional 1,500 active duty troops to the southern border by the end of the month, a US official told Fox News on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
The added troops will operate in the same roles as service members already there, providing aerial reconnaissance, data entry, training, vehicle maintenance, detection and tracking, and some other logistical support roles.
Migrants walk along a fence at the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. The influx of migrants crossing the border illegally has overwhelmed U.S. border officials. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The announcement will mark the third time US troops have been sent to the southern border in the past two years.
In May 2023, the former President Joe Biden and Austin approved a request by former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border for 90 days to help with the influx of migrants after pandemic-era health restrictions end in May 2023.
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In March 2024, Austin approved another DHS request for 2,500 members, including members of the National Guard under Title 10 duty status.
