Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Pentagon announced Sunday that it will deploy 3,750 additional troops to the United States’ southern border.
The deployment includes mobile surveillance capabilities and the placement of some 150 miles of concertina wire between entry ports.
“More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country,” the president said on Twitter last week. “We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive.”
The deployment of troops to the border follows the country’s longest government shutdown, which occurred as a result of a standoff between Trump and congressional Democrats over the president’s request for funding for a $5.7 billion wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
The 35-day shutdown ended Jan. 25 when Trump signed a short-term spending bill.
Following the reopening of the government, the president has continued to stress the need for a border wall during interviews and on Twitter, using the notion of caravans of asylum seekers traveling towards the United States as evidence.
“With Caravans marching through Mexico and toward our Country, Republicans must be prepared to do whatever is necessary for STRONG Border Security,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “Dems do nothing. If there is no Wall, there is no Security. Human Trafficking, Drugs and Criminals in all Dimensions – KEEP OUT!”
The military has spent at least $235 million sending active-duty troops and National Guard to the border since October 2017, USA Today reported.
