Military troops began arriving in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California, on Thursday evening following President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency at the southern border.
The additional support of 1,500 active-duty troops consists of 1,000 U.S. Army personnel and 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in California who will get their assignments along the border upon arrival.
“This represents a 60% increase in active-duty ground forces since President Trump was sworn-in Monday,” Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said in a statement late Wednesday.
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There are already 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border.
The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under Title 10 authorities approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be there until the end of Fiscal Year 2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson.
The National Guard is also increasing its support and coordinating emergent requirements with USNORTHCOM and U.S. Transportation Command for additional personnel, military airlift, barrier construction and other capabilities to meet presidential and Secretary of Defense directives, according to a statement from the National Guard Bureau of Public Affairs.
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“The National Guard currently has over 1,600 Guardsmen supporting the federal border security mission,” said Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “In conjunction with our Joint Service partners, we are developing additional support options to meet USNORTHCOM, USTRANSCOM and Department of Homeland Security force requirements as this critical mission evolves.”
Additionally, more than 4,100 Texas National Guard personnel remain on duty at the border supporting ongoing Operation Lone Star efforts.
Some of the troops being deployed to the southern border were on call or actively working in support of the California wildfires, though they were released from that mission and are now being reassigned, the senior official added.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Friden, Stephen Sorace, Jennifer Griffin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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