After the contentious presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Trump won a majority of the electoral votes, making him the President of the United States for the next term. President Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, in Washington D.C.
One of the first things President Trump signed was an executive order for the Pentagon to send an additional 1,500 troops, consisting of 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines, which they began deploying on January 22. This will add to the 2,200 troops that were already there, resulting in a 60% increase in active duty ground forces since Trump was sworn in. All these troops are being distributed between San Diego, CA, and El Paso, TX.
For this to happen, President Trump declared a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States. This means that he can send troops to the border to protect the U.S. President Trump stated, “America’s sovereignty is under attack. Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans.” As troops gather at the southern border, they have received orders to start making a physical barrier. They are even prepared to send many more active troops, including up to 2,000 Marines, to the additional National Guards already present.
The U.S. military now have eyes on the ground as well as in the air. “We will also be providing aerial support, rotary wing, and airlift capability and deploying some intelligence analysts for enhanced detection and monitoring activities and potentially some intelligence assets as well,” a senior U.S. military official said.
Furthermore, President Trump has also decided to shut down immigration applications, which were first started by the Biden administration, leaving families at the border in an unsolvable situation. Various news channels have speculated that the Defense Department may convert its bases into “holding facilities,” presumably to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection detain immigrants who crossed into the U.S. illegally. President Trump says that they will provide military airlift for deportation flights for more than 5,000 people in San Diego, CA, and El Paso, TX.
To conclude, Trump is deploying troops to the southern border in hopes of stopping people from coming over to the U.S. illegally. He is also stopping immigration from Mexico, leaving many in grim situations, and has already deported more than 500 immigrants in the U.S. back to Mexico, many of which are asylum seekers. Only time can tell what happens next.
Sources:
1.https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-sending-additional-1500-troops-southern-border-us-official
- https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/politics/us-military-troops-southern-border/index.html
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-troops-us-mexico-border/
4.https://apnews.com/article/troops-border-deploy-active-duty-09324578d2b89db5c44e0ba08f42df47
5.https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-sends-troops-southern-border-crisis-or-continuation-us-policy
