WASHINGTON — In response to President Donald Trump’s commitment to curb illegal immigration, the Pentagon has announced the deployment of approximately 3,000 additional active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. The move, aimed at fulfilling a significant campaign promise, was confirmed by U.S. officials on Saturday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the deployment of elements from a Stryker brigade combat team along with a general support aviation battalion, according to a statement from the Pentagon. These forces are scheduled to be stationed along the nearly 2,000-mile border in the coming weeks.
While the official statement from the Defense Department did not specify the exact number of troops to be sent, the deployment figure was identified as roughly 3,000 by unnamed officials who revealed details under conditions of confidentiality. The Stryker vehicles used in this deployment are medium-armored, wheeled personnel carriers.
Currently, there are about 9,200 U.S. troops present at the southern border, which includes roughly 4,200 personnel deployed under federal orders and an additional 5,000 National Guard troops under the direction of state governors.
The Pentagon has articulated that the newly deployed troops will work to “reinforce and expand current border security operations thereby safeguarding the border and protecting the territorial integrity of the United States.”
President Trump has shown a strong preference for increasing military involvement as part of his strategy to enhance border security and expedite the repatriation of detained migrants.
The deployment of military personnel to the southern border is not a new occurrence; forces have been stationed there intermittently since the 1990s, providing assistance in addressing issues related to migration, drug trafficking, and transnational crime.
The new military deployment to the southern border had initially been reported by a prominent news outlet.
Pentagon Deploys 3,000 Troops to US-Mexico Border
