President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Monday to deploy 5,200 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of the week to stop a large group migrants and refugees in a caravan from entering the country.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Pentagon announced Monday it will deploy 5,200 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of the week to stop a large group migrants and refugees in a caravan from entering the country.
Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, a commander with the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, announced the decision at a news conference and said the additional troops would be in place by the end of the week.
He said the deployment, called Operation Faithful Patriot, is to "harden the points of entry" as thousands of migrants are moving toward the border.
The troops will be a mix of active duty, reserve and National Guard forces. They will support thousands of border patrol agents already deployed to the area.
There are already more than 2,000 troops at the border.
"We know border security is national security," he said.