The White House announced on Wednesday that 1,500 additional active-duty troops will be deployed to the US-Mexico border, just two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on immigration.
This move includes 500 Marines, Army helicopter crews, and intelligence analysts, who will join the 2,200 active-duty troops and thousands of National Guard personnel already stationed there.
This decision aligns with Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Defense to prioritise homeland security as a core mission. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt noted, “This comes off of [Trump’s] day one action to ensure the southern border is secure.”
The deployment marks Trump’s continued push to strengthen border security during his second term. During his first presidency, Trump ordered 5,200 troops to the border. His recent executive order further declared illegal immigration a national emergency, issuing a ban on asylum and steps to restrict citizenship for children born on US soil.
Trump’s order instructed the Pentagon to deploy as many troops as necessary to achieve “complete operational control” of the southern border, with a 90-day deadline for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to assess whether additional measures, including invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, might be required. The rarely-used Insurrection Act allows the president to deploy the military to suppress domestic unrest.
“Within 90 days, the heads of the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security will need to recommend whether additional actions, including invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, might be necessary,” it said.
Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses confirmed that the military would provide logistical support for Department of Homeland Security-led deportations. This includes providing flights for the deportation of over 5,000 immigrants currently held in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. “DHS will provide in-flight law enforcement and the State Department will obtain the requisite diplomatic clearances,” Salesses said.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, clarified that the additional troops would not take on law enforcement responsibilities but would instead focus on logistical and operational support. Informal discussions have suggested the possibility of increasing troop numbers to 10,000 over time, although final figures are yet to be determined.
As part of these measures, the Coast Guard announced it would “immediately surge” personnel and vessels to the southeast border near Florida to prevent potential maritime migration from Haiti and Cuba. Additionally, maritime security efforts will be ramped up along the border between Texas and Mexico in the “Gulf of America”—a name Trump has controversially proposed as a replacement for the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump recaptured the presidency by promising to intensify border security and deport unprecedented numbers of migrants. He criticised former President Joe Biden for high levels of illegal immigration, though crossings had already declined due to stricter policies introduced by Biden and increased enforcement by Mexico.
The latest moves reflect Trump’s broader strategy to address immigration through military intervention and heightened security measures. However, critics have raised concerns about the humanitarian impact, as well as the long-term effects of militarising the border.
With immigration remaining a polarising issue, the additional troop deployments and executive actions signal the Trump administration’s determination to redefine US border policies in its second term.
Melissa Enoch
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