RT reported that on January 22, White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to mobilize 1,500 more troops to the southern border of the US to deal with the recent increase in illegal immigration.
After officially taking office on January 20, Mr. Trump immediately declared a state of emergency in the territory bordering Mexico. In addition, this decree also emphasized the importance of the US Department of Defense's mission of protecting homeland security.
There are currently about 2,200 troops from the Joint Task Force North (JTF North) stationed at the border. According to CNN, the soldiers are mainly performing logistical or administrative duties, such as data entry and surveillance.
According to Acting US Defense Secretary Robert Salesses, the Pentagon will continue to mobilize more helicopters and intelligence analysts to the border to increase detection and surveillance.
In an interview, Salesses said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be provided military aircraft to conduct flights to deport 5,000 illegal immigrants currently detained in San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas, by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “This is just the beginning,” Salesses stressed.
According to the Washington Post, also on January 22, CBP revealed that President Donald Trump plans to send 10,000 troops to the border with Mexico in the future.
Mr. Trump said that many undocumented immigrants are committing many illegal acts, affecting American people and posing a serious threat to national security as well as community safety.
The United States has been dealing with a terrible immigration situation in recent times. According to DHS, between 2021 and 2023, border agents recorded 2.3 million encounters with immigrants, of which more than 1.5 million were believed to have escaped.
