There are around 8,600 federal troops stationed at the border. Two National Defense Areas stretching around 230 miles along the border in New Mexico and Texas are serving as extensions of military bases. In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said anyone attempting to enter the country illegally in those zones will be entering a military base and will be detained by Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Defense. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security also requested 20,000 National Guard troops to help with mass deportation efforts.

The Pentagon now has 10,000 troops deployed to the border with Mexico following the dispatch of another 1,115 service members. As announced by the Northern Command in a statement, the move seeks to "provide enhanced sustainment, engineering, medical, and operational capabilities as part of the Department of Defense’s continued whole-of-government approach to gain full operational control of the southern border."

The Trump administration approved an additional 1,115 service members for deployment to the southern border Thursday as part of President Trump’s mission to seal off the US-Mexico boundary. The latest round of deployments will bring the total number of US troops at the border close to 10,000 – far higher than the 2,500 National Guardsmen former President Joe Biden had stationed on the frontier at the end of his term. Currently, there are more than 8,000 service members actively patrolling the US-Mexico border in aerial, maritime and land support roles, a US Northern Command spokesperson told The Post. The incoming units will provide “enhanced sustainment, engineering, medical, and operational capabilities as part of the Department of Defense’s continued whole-of-government approach to gain full operational control of the southern border,” US Northern Command said in a statement.