US Surges More Troops to Secure Border With Mexico

Troop build-up continues as illegal border crossings plunge to 25-year low

Troops from Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division arrive at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, for US Southern Border Security Mission. (US Northern Command photo)

The US Northern Command continues to surge US troops to secure the Southern Border with Mexico, assigning more than 600 additional service members for deployment - which will increase the total number of border troops (from US troops previously assigned there) to around 9,600.

The additional assignments recently announced include:

• Approximately 40 intelligence analysts from Air Force active and reserve components to support the Joint Intelligence Task Force – Southern Border.

• Approximately 590 engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Army 18th Airborne Corps to conduct tasks including planning, coordinating, integrating and an assortment of engineer operations. Specific engineer missions will be determined after the units reach the southern border area.

• 20th Engineer Brigade from Fort Bragg, North Carolina

  • 19th Engineer Battalion from Fort Knox, Kentucky

  • 15th Engineer Company from Fort Knox, Kentucky

  • 687th Engineer Company from Fort Johnson, Louisiana

US Troops assigned to the US Southern Border assist the Border Patrol with surveillance along the border wall (US Northern Command Photo)

These US Army troops are in addition to the 5,000 state military forces Texas has assigned to its border by Governor Greg Abbott through "Operation Lone Star" (down from 10,000 Texas troops at the height of that mission).

Texas has also assigned hundreds of state law enforcement officers to its border counties to further bolster its efforts to curb cartel and human smuggling into the state.

Texas troops assigned to "Operation Lone Star" and Border Patrol Agents "show of force" to prevent illegal crossings of the Rio Grande. (Texas Military Department photo)

US Army units previously assigned to deploy the Southern Border include:

• 101st Division Sustainment Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

• Alpha Company, 189th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

• Bravo Company, 68th DSSB, Fort Carson, Colorado

• Charlie Company, 129th DSSB, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

• Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

• 70th Movement Control Team, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia

• 564th Quartermaster Company, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

These troop build-ups along the US Southern Border are occurring while illegal migrant crossings from Mexico have plunged to levels not seen for 25 years:

Do you support sending more troops to secure the US Border with Mexico?

Share your opinion in the comments on this article!

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

Jack Beavers