1,500 U.S. Troops Arrive in First Wave of Southern Border Security and Logistics

President Trump ordered the U.S. Defense Department to make “homeland security a core mission of the agency.”  In one of the first actions to support an executive order on border security, the Pentagon sends an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to support Customs and Border Patrol.

(Via Reuters) – […] The additional troops include 500 Marines, as well as Army helicopter crews and intelligence analysts. They will join 2,200 active-duty troops and thousands of National Guard that were on the border prior to Trump’s inauguration this week.

A separate official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there had been informal discussions about sending as many as 10,000 troops over time. But, officials cautioned, a final figure had not been determined, and troop numbers would depend on several factors, including impact on military readiness and what the Department for Homeland Security requests.

[…]  Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the U.S. military would help provide flights for Department of Homeland Security-led deportations of more than 5,000 immigrants held by U.S. authorities 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. (read more)