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Secretary of Defense James Mattis Wednesday Rejected critics that the deployment of more than 5,200 troops on the US-Mexico border was a real political coup by the Trump administration before the mid-term elections.
"We do not do stunts in this department," Mattis told reporters, according to a Pentagon Pool report.
Mattis said the military support to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Patrol, "is practical support based on the request of the Customs Commissioner and Border Police."
"We are doing this after the storms, we support the Department of Homeland Security. It's a different aspect, but that's what we do, "Mattis said after meeting with the South Korean Defense Minister at the Pentagon.
President Trump ordered last week the Pentagon to advance the deployment of troops in response to the decline of the caravan of several thousand Central Americans.
Last month, the president increasingly portrayed the group as a threat to national security, tweeting Wednesday that the caravan included "very bad thugs and gang members".
The caravan is still a few weeks from the border, but with the mid-term elections Tuesday and control of the House to win, Trump last month reinforced his talk about the threat of illegal immigration to the United States.
Mattis Friday approved a request for assistance from DHS for sending troops.
The Pentagon then announced Monday that more than 5,200 soldiers on active duty would be sent to the Texas, Arizona and California border as part of the Faithful Patriot operation.
A day later, General Terrence O. Shaughnessy – who oversees the efforts – said this number would increase.
The Pentagon has not specified the number of troops it plans to send, nor has it given an estimate of the costs of the operation.
From Wednesday The Pentagon has identified about 7,000 active-duty troops who could be deployed at the border if needed, Reuters reported.
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