Is Mexico Sending Hundreds of Lawyers to US to Help Migrants? What We Know
NewsweekJan 01
US to Send 1.5K Troops to Mexico Border
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Above: Traffic navigates the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas on Jan. 22, 2025. Image copyright: Jorge Salgado/Anadolu via Getty images
The Facts
The US on Wednesday announced plans to send 1.5K active-duty troops, including 500 marines, to the Mexico border where — shortly after being sworn in on Monday — the newly-elected Pres. Donald Trump has declared a “national emergency.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the news: “this is something President Trump campaigned on.” Providing details of the troop deployment, Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses stated Wednesday: “This is just the beginning.”
The troops will assist Border Patrol agents and help construct barriers, while military aircraft will be used to deport over 5K detained migrants. Some 2.2K soldiers are already on duty along the border under the US Northern Command.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
US Pres. Donald Trump’s decisive action to bolster border security, including deploying more troops and advancing policies like reinstating "Remain in Mexico," marks a bold and much-needed step in fixing the American immigration crisis. This robust approach not only signals a commitment to national security but also reflects his resolve to empower law enforcement and safeguard the country's interests.
Anti-Trump narrative
Pres. Donald Trump's border militarization embodies a grotesque spectacle of xenophobic cruelty, deploying troops to wage war against vulnerable migrants seeking mere survival. His "National Emergy" transforms human beings into targets, weaponizing America's military might against desperate souls fleeing violence and poverty, and reducing human dignity to a performative and inhumane political theater.
