The US military sends troops to the Mexico border amid Trump’s anti-immigration campaign Donald Trump news

This deployment is part of Trump’s executive action to declare a “national emergency” at the southern border of the United States.

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 movement on Wednesday, although full details have not yet been released.

Officials told US media that the participating service members included 500 Marines. They are not expected to carry out law enforcement duties as part of their role at the border.

The deployment was widely expected, as immigration has been a hallmark of Trump’s campaign for a second term.

Shortly after being sworn in on Monday, the Republican leader signed an ordinance Executive order He declared a “national emergency” at the border, repeating some of the heated rhetoric he made during his election campaign.

“America’s sovereignty is under attack,” the executive order said. “This invasion has caused widespread chaos and suffering in our country over the past four years.”

The order included provisions related to the deployment of the armed forces “to support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security in obtaining full operational control of the southern border.”

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

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

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

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

An estimated 2,500 US National Guard and Reserve personnel are already on the border.

Additionally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection employs more than 45,000 people. As of Fiscal year 202319,104 of these employees served as Border Patrol agents securing areas between official ports of entry.

However, immigration advocates fear that an increased military presence at the border will discourage legitimate asylum claims or lead to the use of military tactics against civilians.

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

He also regularly confuses immigration with increased crime, something that statistics do not confirm. Studies have repeatedly shown that undocumented people in the United States commit crimes at a much lower rate than native-born citizens, including violent crimes.

However, Trump has used examples such as the case of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, to bolster his proposals.

In February 2024, Riley was killed while jogging at the University of Georgia, and an undocumented Venezuelan man was eventually convicted of her murder.

On Wednesday, the House passed the Laken-Riley Act, named in her honor.

The order requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain any undocumented person who is arrested or charged with a crime such as theft or burglary. Having already passed the Senate, the bill now moves to Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it. This will be the first major legislation of his administration.

But human rights advocates warn that the bill may violate due process for defendants, as people subject to the law only need to be charged with a crime, not convicted.