U.S. Troops at Border Will Be More Than Double Those in Syria
The Pentagon is sending 5,200 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the migrant caravan.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty
The Pentagon is sending 5,200 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in anticipation of the migrant caravan that’s still roughly 1,000 miles away, the Defense Department announced Monday. Last week, officials said they would send up to 1,000 troops. The new number is 2.5 times the amount of troops fighting ISIS in Syria as of last December. The troops will not perform law-enforcement activities, USA Today reports, but will provide backup to border-patrol officials. There are an estimated 3,500 people still traveling with the caravan. Trump took to Twitter Monday to repeat his anti-immigrant rhetoric, claiming without evidence that the caravan includes “Gang Members” and “very bad people.”
Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border. Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
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