Your Marine Corps

Pentagon approves plan to send more troops to US-Mexico border

April 29, 2019
Soldiers stretch out concertina wire used to secure the existing border fence near the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, April 11, 2019. (Sgt. Andrew S. Valles/Army)

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says the acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, has approved a plan to send about 320 more troops to the U.S.-Mexican border to provide additional support, such as driving Customs and Border Protection vehicles to transport migrants.

The decision announced Monday evening provides approval for a plan the Pentagon disclosed last Friday.

In this April 10, 2000, file photo, a marker embedded in the pavement marks the imaginary line between the United States and Mexico at the San Ysidro border checkpoint between San Diego, Calif., and Tijuana, Mexico. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
Armed Mexican soldiers confronted US soldiers on US soil

Two U.S. soldiers in a remote area of Texas were confronted by Mexican soldiers who thought the Americans had crossed into Mexico, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The Mexican troops reportedly removed a weapon from the American soldier who was armed.

The Pentagon says the extra troop support will cost about $7.4 million through Sept. 30.

The decision allows the newly deployed troops to have contact with migrants when necessary to perform their tasks. In such cases, there are to be civilian Department of Homeland Security personnel nearby to conduct law enforcement functions.

Recommended for you
Around The Web