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Paul Sonne
A national security reporter focusing on the US military
Missy Ryan
Reporter covering the Pentagon, military issues and national security
President Trump announced on Wednesday that he would deploy up to 15,000 troops to the Mexican border in response to a caravan of Central American migrants heading north, doubling the figure as reported by Pentagon officials.
"We will place between 10 and 15,000 troops over border control, ICE and all the others at the border," Trump told the press before leaving Washington for a Florida campaign rally . "Nobody comes in. We do not allow people to come in."
Trump's comments come a day after the border enforcement general announced that 5,239 active-duty troops would be heading for the border and there would be more to follow, in addition to the 2,092 the National Guard already present.
If the deployment reaches 15,000 soldiers, it is about the size of the US military presence in Afghanistan and three times the size of the presence in Iraq. Already, deployment would be the largest of its kind for more than a century.
The decision to deploy so many soldiers in the days leading up to the mid-term elections led to criticism from the president that he would use the issue as a political maneuver designed to launch a base of concern over the issue. # 39; immigration.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met with reporters on Tuesday during a visit by the South Korean Defense Minister to the Pentagon. He said the army was deployed to support the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection.
"The support we provide to the US Secretary of Homeland Security is concrete support based on the request of the Commissioner of Customs and Border Police. We do not do stunts in this department, "said Mattis.
The secretary of defense said the army had carried out similar missions in the United States following natural disasters. "We support the Secretary of Homeland Security, who needs additional military assistance," he said.
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