The US military is sending troops to the Mexican border amid Trump’s crackdown on immigration Donald Trump news

The deployment is part of Trump’s move to declare a “national emergency” along the US southern border.

The US military has begun sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the country’s southern border with Mexico as part of President Donald Trump’s long-promised crackdown on immigration.

The White House confirmed the troop move on Wednesday, but full details of the order have not yet been released.

Officials told US media that the military involved included 500 Marines. They are not expected to perform law enforcement duties as part of their role at the border.

With immigration a hallmark of Trump’s campaign for a second term, the troop deployment was highly anticipated.

The Republican leader signed shortly after being sworn in on Monday executive order He repeated some of his heated campaign rhetoric by declaring a “national emergency” on the border.

“America’s sovereignty is under attack,” the executive order said. “This occupation has caused widespread chaos and suffering in our country in the last 4 years.”

The order included provisions for the deployment of armed forces “to support the actions of the Secretary of Homeland Security in achieving full operational control of the southern border.”

He also called for the construction of additional physical barriers, as well as the use of unmanned aerial surveillance.

Trump’s communications team quickly hailed Wednesday’s troop deployment as a fulfillment of his campaign promise.

“This is something that President Trump campaigned on,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said.

“The American people have been waiting for a time like this — for our Department of Defense to really take homeland security seriously.”

About 2,500 US National Guard members and reservists are already at the border.

In addition, US Customs and Border Protection employs more than 45,000 people. as FY 202319,104 of those employees served as border patrol agents to secure areas between official ports of entry.

Immigration advocates, however, fear that an increased military presence at the border could block legal asylum claims or lead to military tactics against civilians.

But Trump argued that a military response was necessary given the rates of illegal entry into the United States.

He also regularly links immigration to increased crime, something that is not backed up by statistics. Studies have repeatedly shown that undocumented people in the US commit fewer crimes, including violent crimes, than US-born citizens.

However, Trump used examples such as Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, to push his proposals.

In February 2024, Riley was killed while jogging at the University of Georgia, and an undocumented Venezuelan man was ultimately found guilty of his murder.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, named in his honor.

It requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain any undocumented person arrested or charged with a crime, such as theft or robbery. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, is now headed to Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it. It will be the first major law of his administration.

But human rights advocates warn that the bill could undermine due process for defendants, because those subject to the law should be charged with a crime, not convicted.