US troops bolster border security to curb illegal crossings

• The Department of Defense is deploying additional U.S. troops to the southern border. Federal officials say this is to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
• The DOD continues to work with the Department of Homeland Security to fill critical capabilities gaps at the southern border in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order.
• According to CPB numbers, about 29,000 attempted crossings were detected in January 2025, nearly 77% fewer than January 2024.

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The Department of Defense confirms the deployment of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and General Support Aviation Battalion. Trump administration officials say this is to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

On Saturday, March 1, the DOD released a statement stating Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment to reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States, a priority for the president.

“These forces will arrive in the coming weeks and their deployment underscores the Department’s unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership to reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States, a priority for the President,” a senior defense official said.

Fox News reports 1,140 troops, the Washington Post reports the number to be between 2,500 to 3,000. The New York Times has also confirmed about 3,000 troops will head to the border.

“The DOD continues to work with the Department of Homeland Security to fill critical capabilities gaps at the southern border in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Protecting the American People Against Invasion,'” U.S. Northern Command told Fox News.

The orders are part of a broader military mission initiated by the Trump administration to bolster efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to stop undocumented migrants and drug smugglers from crossing into the United States.

Several thousand U.S. troops are already involved. Those troops are primarily assisting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) in the detection and apprehension of migrants seeking to enter the United States illegally.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, commander of the Texas National Guard, told Stars and Stripes the additional U.S. troop deployment is separate from the roughly 5,000 Texas National Guard members deployed in their state under Gov. Greg Abbott’s direction. He adds there is coordination between the two efforts.

Texas National Guard new authority

On Thursday, Feb. 27, CBP announced 60 soldiers from the Texas Military Department took an oath to support the U.S. Border Patrol in its mission to enforce immigration laws. With this new designation, the Texas National Guard soldiers now have the authority to apprehend and detain individuals who cross the border illegally.

According to the CPB numbers, about 29,000 attempted crossings were detected in January 2025.  That number is nearly 77% fewer than January 2024.  The arrest tally in January was also the lowest level since May 2020 and down from 47,000 in December 2024.