An additional 2,500 to 3,000 active-duty US troops have been ordered to the US-Mexico border, including soldiers from a motorized brigade equipped with armored Stryker combat vehicles.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth approved the deployment on Friday, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The soldiers, primarily from the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, will be joined by specialists in engineering, intelligence, and public affairs.
Hegseth’s order includes the deployment of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team as well as a helicopter unit to “reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” according to a Pentagon statement.
Stryker vehicles are lightly armored, capable of carrying up to 11 soldiers, and typically equipped with a machine gun or grenade launcher. It remains unclear whether the vehicles will be outfitted with mounted weapons for this mission.
The vehicles will likely be transported by rail or truck and are expected to aid soldiers in securing the border.
The mission has been in planning since January, with troops expected to arrive within the next few weeks.
The Pentagon emphasized that the move is part of the Defense Department’s “unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership.”
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border upon taking office and has pushed to increase military presence as part of his broader immigration enforcement strategy.
Border crossings have significantly decreased since his administration began.
Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks recently told CBS News that unlawful crossings at the southern border are down 94 percent compared to the same period last year.
