1,500 US Troops to Descend Onto Southern Border On Trump's Orders

The Pentagon is set to deploy 1,500 active duty troops to the southern border in the coming days, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses is expected to sign the orders today, but it is yet unclear which units will be sent to the border with Mexico. Their role there is also unclear at the moment but the action stems from executive orders signed by President Donald Trump to that end after he took office on Monday.

There are currently some 2,500 U.S. National Guard and Reserve forces but no active duty troops in the southern border. Forces are expected to support border patrol agents with logistics, transportation and construction of barriers, the outlet added. Active duty troops have performed such duties in the past during Trump's first administration as well as former President Joe Biden's.

Trump declared a national border emergency after taking office, allowing his government to make such decisions. Fox News' Bill Melugin had anticipated that the president would order "S troops to be deployed to the border under U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), & will order the U.S. military to prioritize US borders and territorial integrity in strategic planning for its operations."

"Trump will direct his SecDef to develop a unified command plan, and the border security mission will be handled by NORTHCOM," Melugin added on Monday.

Trump has also shown willingness for troops to cross the border, especially to deal with cartels. He also is moving toward designating them as terrorist organizations, which could also lead to tougher financial penalties and legal ramifications in the US against those involved, according to CNN.

If the Trump administration follows through, Mexican drug cartels like the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, would join ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas and others in the list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Trump has been vocal about his plans to curb the influence of drug cartels. He has threatened to drop bombs on fentanyl labs and send special forces to take out cartel leaders, an incursion that could violate Mexico's sovereignty and disrupt relations with the United States' largest trading partner.

The designation to the drug cartels would have to be initiated by the secretary of state, in coordination with the attorney general and treasury secretary, who would then notify Congress.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted to the decision on Tuesday, emphasizing that "we all want to fight the drug cartels." However, she drew a clear line to do so: "The U.S. in their territory, us in our territory," she added.

Critics fear the designation could open the door to military intervention in Mexico, something Sheinbaum has strongly opposed and Trump has not ruled out. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a crime expert at the Brookings Institution, said the move could also make it harder for migrants to seek asylum, according to Border Report. With cartels controlling migrant smuggling routes, asylum seekers paying fees to cartels could potentially disqualify themselves. "Trump can essentially prevent the vast majority of undocumented migrants from getting asylum," she said.