U.S. Raising Active Duty Forces at Mexico Border to About 4,350
- Military will help with surveillance, lay concertina wire
- Boosting troop numbers that were drawn down after election
U.S. Army troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border line up to receive a meal at a base near the Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge in Donna, Texas.
Photographer: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images North AmericaThis article is for subscribers only.
The Defense Department will deploy about 3,750 additional U.S. forces to the southwest border with Mexico, raising the number of active-duty troops at the border to about 4,350, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
The troops will provide support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations, including a mobile surveillance capability through the end of September, and they will lay about 150 miles (241 km) of concertina wire between ports of entry, the Defense Department said in a statement.