3,000 additional military personnel to join 6,000 already stationed at the Mexico border as part of immigration enforcement efforts.
The United States military has announced the deployment of an additional 3,000 troops to the southern border with Mexico, bringing the total number of military personnel at this location to 9,000.
This move is part of ongoing efforts to address illegal immigration, which has been highlighted as a key focus of the new administration lead by President
Donald Trump.
According to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the additional troops will assist the border patrol in maintaining security along the southern border.
The soldiers are not intended to engage directly in blocking migrants or conducting eviction operations; rather, their responsibilities will focus on surveillance, administrative support, and logistical assistance, particularly enhancing air transport capabilities.
General Gregory Gilot, the commander of NORAD, indicated that this deployment is aimed at increasing agility and support in combatting illegal immigration and drug trafficking at the southern border.
On his first day back in office, President Trump signed a decree declaring a state of emergency at the border with Mexico.
Two days later, he ordered the deployment of 1,500 additional troops to bolster existing forces.
Trump has criticized Mexico for not doing enough to combat illegal immigration and the import of fentanyl, a potent opioid, into the United States.
Estimates from the Department of Homeland Security in 2022 reported approximately 11 million undocumented individuals residing in the U.S. During the four-year tenure of former President
Joe Biden, U.S. Border Patrol claimed to have apprehended about 8.8 million illegal migrants, some of whom were apprehended multiple times.
Apprehensions peaked at the end of 2023 before showing a significant decline toward the conclusion of Biden's presidency.
President Trump stated that the rate of apprehensions has drastically decreased since he assumed office and noted that February marked the lowest number of apprehensions of illegal migrants at the southern border in recorded history, describing this as an end to what he referred to as an 'invasion' of the country.
To facilitate the expulsion of individuals in the U.S. illegally, the Trump administration is applying pressure on Latin American countries to accept their nationals being returned from the United States.
Additionally, it plans to hold approximately 30,000 undocumented migrants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, supplemented by around 40,000 existing detention center beds across the U.S.