Under orders from President Donald Trump, 1,500 active-duty service members and additional air and intelligence assets are being deployed to the southwest border, Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said.
U.S. military personnel will be playing an active role in federal deportation efforts already underway in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection sectors of San Diego and El Paso.
The announcement came roughly 36 hours after Trump issued multiple border security orders, including directing U.S. military forces to retain operational control of U.S. borders and protect the territorial integrity of the United States.
“On Monday, to protect the security and safety of United States citizens, President Trump declared that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States. The president directed me to take all appropriate action to support the activities of the secretary of homeland security in obtaining complete operational control of the southern border of the United States,” Salesses said.
The military has long played “an established role in securing our borders against threats of invasion, against unlawful forays by foreign nationals into the United States, and against other transnational criminal activities that violate our laws and threaten the peace, harmony, and tranquility of the Nation,” Trump’s order states. “Threats against our Nation’s sovereignty continue today, and it is essential that the Armed Forces staunchly continue to participate in the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
It directs the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) to “seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.”
In response, the Pentagon established a task force to implement Trump’s order. USNORTHCOM is leading the effort supported by U.S. Transportation Command, the National Guard Bureau, the military services and the Department of Homeland Security, Salesses said.
The 1,500 additional active-duty service members – 1,000 Army soldiers and 500 Marines – will initially work on placing physical barriers within 24 to 48 hours.
They join 2,500 active-duty personnel already in the region, representing a 60% increase in active-duty forces at the southwest border since Trump was sworn into office.
They are expected to provide real-time situational awareness of persons, vehicles, vessels and aircraft, working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on operator-level maintenance, movement and staging of assets, Salesses said.
The DOD is also providing airlift support for DHS operated flights to facilitate the deportation of more than 5,000 illegal border crossers currently detained in the CBP sectors of San Diego and El Paso. It is also coordinating with the State Department to obtain diplomatic visas and provide host-nation notification for those being removed.
Transcom is providing two C-130 Hercules and two C-17 Globemaster aircraft to assist with deportations; UH-72 Lakota military helicopters are already operational in support of CBP, Salesses said.
The DOD is also providing intelligence analyst support at the border and is “in the process of sourcing those requirements right now. We also anticipate that there could be some additional airborne intelligence, surveillance and support assets that would move down to the border to increase situational awareness.”
These are the first of several military border enforcement missions, he said. Border security “is going to be a big priority for the department under the acting secretary and the secretary that will be coming on board,” Salesses added.
“In short order, [DOD] will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS, federal agencies, and state partners to address the full range of threats outlined by the [president] at our nation’s borders. President Trump directed action from [DOD] on securing our nation’s borders and made clear he expects immediate results. That is exactly what our military is doing under his leadership.”
