Up to 3,000 more U.S. troops ordered to southern border

An additional 2,500 to 3,000 troops have been ordered to the U.S.-Mexico border by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the latest in President Trump’s efforts to prevent illegal crossings.

Pentagon officials have said thousands more troops could be sent in the comings week and months.

The latest contingent of troops are from a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and General Support Aviation Battalion “to reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” according to a Department of Defense statement.

Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border on his first day in office. Days after his inauguration, the Department of Defense ordered 1,500 troops to the border to assist Customs and Border Protection agents. An additional 2,500 National Guard troops had already been sent to the border during the Biden administration.

The latest troop deployment comes despite a sharp decline in the number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since a peak in 2021 — a number that has dropped even further since Trump took office.