© 2025 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Pentagon is sending 1,500 more troops to the border to assist with immigration enforcement

A border fence separating El Paso from Ciudad Juárez, México, in Chihuahuita Park in the Chihuahuita neighborhood of El Paso.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
A border fence separating El Paso from Ciudad Juárez, México, in Chihuahuita Park in the Chihuahuita neighborhood of El Paso.

The president has directed the U.S. military to reinforce the border, and the acting secretary of defense on Wednesday announced the Pentagon is sending around 1,500 active duty troops to the country’s southern border, joining 2,500 active duty personnel already there.

The 1,000 soldiers and 500 Marines will work with Customs and Border Protection in El Paso and San Diego, Calif. Noah Robertson, who covers the Pentagon for Defense News, said the troops are the first the Pentagon had available for this mission.

“The 500 Marines had previously been activated to help fight the wildfires in California, but were never actually needed by FEMA, in the end,” Robertson said. “The 1,000 Army personnel were available via an emergency pool at Northern Command, which is in charge of military operations around the homeland.

“What they’ll do while they’re there is support Customs and Border Protection mainly. So that includes building temporary fencing, helping monitor the area and then maintaining and sustaining equipment.”

The troops will be somewhat limited by the fact that there are restrictions on U.S. troops being deployed on U.S. soil.

“We are going to hear a lot about arcane law in the next coming weeks. What you should keep in mind is that for now, support is completely legal. They are allowed to deploy to U.S. soil as long as they are not taking particular care of law enforcement activities,” Roberston said. “So that means the U.S. can go and send its military to the southern border, but that won’t involve things that you usually see CBP or the Department of Homeland Security doing and certainly not using force on American soil.

“Now, if things were to change and the president were to declare the Insurrection Act, or to make the declaration of invasion a legal declaration, then that could change the rules. But that hasn’t happened yet.”

The Insurrection Act would permit the use of federal troops in a limited law enforcement role, typically to quell riots or disturbances. It was last invoked in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers who had been charged in the beating of Rodney King.

In addition to supporting border enforcement efforts, the Defense Department is going to start conducting deportation flights.

“We don’t yet know much; they’re moving very quickly,” Robertson said. “This is the top priority for the department under President Trump, at least in the early stages. The deportation will move to take about 5,000 migrants detained … from El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California, and then send them outside the country. Where they will go is not yet known, but they will be using military aircraft that include C-17s and C-130s for that mission.”

The additional 1,500 troops represent a 60% increase in troops on the border, and it’s possible more will follow, Robertson said.

“We were briefed as a resident press corps by a senior defense and military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity yesterday at the Pentagon,” he said. “[They] said specifically that they have not found a top number for planning. They do not know how many may go in the future, but they made it clear to say that this is just the start of what will be a flurry of actions coming from the new administration related to the border.”

Robertson said this first step represents what will likely be a longer term strategy for border enforcement.

“I think the big takeaway is that this is the start of a much more aggressive use of the U.S. military on the southern border,” Robertson said. “The president, who campaigned on this issue in 2016 and heading into this election cycle, has made it clear that he sees this as a top priority and in an unusually thorough manner, he will be using the military to accomplish that mission.”