The United States is rapidly escalating its military presence at the southwestern border, with the Pentagon announcing the deployment of around 3,000 additional troops in response to President Trump’s directive to bolster efforts to curb the influx of migrants into the country.
Armed infantry and support troops hailing from the 4th Infantry Division based at Fort Carson in Colorado, a highly experienced combat unit within the Army, are set to be dispatched within a matter of days, according to two Pentagon officials. This move comes on the heels of President Trump’s forceful assertion on his first day in office that the U.S. military would confront what he characterized as an "invasion" of migrants, drug cartels, and smugglers.
The deployment of these troops, in conjunction with the 1,100 support troops from the military’s Northern Command announced previously, and the recent arrival of headquarters personnel from the 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., will bring the total number of active-duty troops stationed along the border to approximately 9,000, as confirmed by Defense Department officials. The Washington Post was the first to report on this latest mobilization of troops.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Pentagon emphasized that these forces are expected to arrive over the coming weeks, underscoring the department’s steadfast commitment to collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security to fortify the southern border and uphold the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership.