Troops To Be Deployed To Border To Build 160 Miles Of Fencing

More troops are expected to be deployed to the southern border to construct or upgrade 160 miles of fencing and provide medical care to a steady stream of migrant families arriving from Central America, according to military sources. More troops are expected to be deployed to the Southern border toto a steady stream of migrant families arriving from Central America, according to military sources.The move comes as President Trump continues to demand more than $5 billion from Congress for border security and a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The government has been partially closed since Dec. 22 and the shutdown has stretched into the new congressional session, when Democrats took control of the House. A few days later, Trump repeated his intention to have the Defense Department do the job, saying in another tweet that because of crime and drugs flowing through the border “the United States Military will build the Wall!”

The Department of Homeland Security — which has had to cease some operations, although not border security — made the request for more troops to shore up the border with Mexico. -NPR

The request for more troops to shore up the US-Mexico border was made by the Department of Homeland Security - which will add to the deployment of some 2,300 active duty troops on the border as well as 2,100 National Guard troops. The request will very likely mean theThe active-duty deployment was scheduled to be completed at the end of January, while the Guard troops are scheduled to remain until September.A senior military official said the new request could include thousands more troops and that installing the fencing could take months.
The Department of Homeland Security requests more American troops be deployed to the Mexico-United States border in order to add 160 miles of concertina wire alongside existing border fencing.