Trump has sent thousands of troops to the Mexico border

On the 2024 campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to deploy thousands of troops to secure the southern border of the US as part of his strategy to clamp down on illegal immigration.

-  Oliver O’Connell

The president's characterisation of the situation at the US-Mexico border as an "invasion" had already been met with criticism, which grew with the idea of the domestic deployment of the military. Democrats, human rights groups, and even some groups within the military itself raised their concerns.

Nevertheless, after his inauguration, troops were deployed to the border within a week, with more following along with U-2 spyplanes, Stryker combat vehicles, drones, helicopters, and even two Navy destroyers off the west coast and in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Texas. Approximately 8,600 active duty troops are now at the US-Mexico border, up from about 2,500 at the end of the Biden administration.

Border crossings had fallen sharply in the latter part of Joe Biden's presidency but plunged as Trump took office. Some 8,000 people were arrested after crossing the border illegally this April, the most recent data shows. The corresponding figure for a year earlier in April 2024 was 128,000.