The United States will deploy about 3,000 more troops to its southern border, the US Defense Department said. Northern Command (Northcom) said in a statement on Saturday that about 2,400 soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and 500 soldiers from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will be sent to the Mexican border.
German news outlet DW reported the information.
Northcom commander General Gregory Guillot said, “The troop deployment will provide additional capabilities and strategic advantages to stop illegal immigration and the flow of drugs across that border.”
However, the troops will not be directly involved in the detention or deportation process, the Defense Department said. Their duties will include surveillance and monitoring, administrative support, transportation support, warehousing and logistics support, vehicle maintenance and engineering support.
The Stryker unit will use lightly armored vehicles, which can typically carry 11 soldiers and are equipped with machine guns or grenade launchers. Such vehicles have been used on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and have been supplied by the United States to Ukraine.
The aviation unit, on the other hand, will transport personnel, equipment and supplies, as well as provide medical support by air.
Every year, thousands of migrants and refugees try to enter the United States through the Mexican border. They are mainly fleeing poverty, violence and political unrest in Latin America.
The United States has been deploying military forces to the Mexican border since the 1990s to prevent immigration, crime and drug smuggling.
President Donald Trump has consistently made border security a key issue in his election campaign. Since taking office, he has launched a wide-ranging campaign to stop illegal immigration, including immigration raids, detention and deportation.
On Saturday, Trump praised his administration’s actions, posting on his Truth social platform, saying, “The occupation of our country is over.”
In January of this year, Trump issued an executive order calling drug cartels a “serious threat to national security.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last month, “We are going to take control of the border.”