Pentagon to deploy 800 troops to US-Mexico border

The Pentagon is expected to deploy about 800 troops to the US-Mexico border, two US officials said yesterday, after President Donald Trump said the military would be used there to tackle a “national emergency.” The active-duty troops would augment the 2,000 or so National Guardsmen already deployed to support operations on the border, and could come from multiple military bases around the US.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis was expected to sign orders at some point yesterday for the new deployment, one official said. The troops would include doctors and engineers and would be used mainly to provide logistical support including tents, vehicles and equipment. The official said the troops would satisfy elements of a “wish list” for military assistance sent to the Pentagon by the Department of Homeland Security, the huge US agency with responsibility for the border.

Trump earlier Thursday tweeted that “Democrat inspired” laws make it difficult to stop people at the border.  “I am bringing out the military for this National Emergency. They will be stopped!” he said. In April, Trump said he would send thousands of National Guard troops to the southern border.

That initial authorization allowed for about 4,000 Guardsmen to be sent to the frontier, but only about half that number have been deployed. Thursday’s move comes as thousands of Central American migrants are crossing Mexico toward the United States in a caravan.