Skip to main content

Trump Sending 5,200 Troops to the Southern Border, Some of Them Armed

CBN

Share This article

The Department of Defense is deploying at least 5,200 active-duty troops, some of them armed with weapons, to the southwest border to stop a surge of illegal immigrants, officials said Monday.

Officials say the troops are there to "harden" the southern border.

"The president has made it clear that border security is national security," said Air Force Gen. Terrence John O'Shaughnessy, head of US Northern Command.

These troops are in addition to more than 2,100 National Guard troops deployed earlier this year.

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has been trying to focus on the caravan just a week before the midterm elections.

As part of that effort, the president has amplified concerns about the migrant caravan which largely consists of people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, speaking at the same event, said US authorities are tracking the caravan of refugees, currently estimated at around 3,500 people, as well as another group between Guatemala and Mexico of about 3,000 people.

"We will not allow a large group to enter the United States in an unsafe and unlawful manner," McAleenan said.

The migrant caravan has been moving slowly north from Central America and its numbers have been dwindling.

CBN News sent a reporter into the caravan to learn more about what's going on. Click here to read his report.

 

 

Share This article