Trump's Troop Buildup at The Border Now Around 9,000 as Pentagon Authorizes New Troops in Arizona

The Pentagon has authorized a significant expansion of military support at the U.S.-Mexico border, with 9,000 U.S. troops now stationed there as part of an effort to enhance surveillance and assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

This increase follows a March 25 directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which grants U.S. military personnel expanded roles, including mobile ground-based monitoring, aimed at tracking and detecting illegal activities along the southern border.

"Troops assigned to the Joint Task Force-Southern Border, headquartered at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, will now be able to patrol using military vehicles and on foot to detect, track, and monitor movements of suspected illegal activity," AZ Central reported.

Army Maj. Jennifer L. Staton explained in a statement that these enhanced patrols would provide a more proactive approach "to cover a larger area of the border, affording them dynamic observation across multiple angles and distances." In addition, troops are now authorized to transport CBP agents in military vehicles, such as Stryker armored vehicles, to support their efforts.

The expanded military mission is expected to continue aiding CBP's efforts to achieve operational control of the border, utilizing military technology such as night-vision equipment and advanced sensors for improved detection.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, emphasized the importance of the expanded capabilities in another statement, saying "the authority to transport CBP personnel during patrols means law enforcement personnel will be on hand or nearby to conduct any necessary law enforcement activity."

The latest deployment adds to the approximately 9,000 troops currently assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), including 6,600 active-duty personnel. This force includes soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 1,600 Army soldiers and Marines deployed in January.

The Pentagon's new directive follows reports of discussions within the Trump administration to create a potential "buffer zone" along the border, allowing military personnel to temporarily hold migrants on federal land while CBP conducts legal enforcement actions, as The Washington Post reports. This proposal, which could involve using the Roosevelt Reservation, has yet to be finalized, but it underscores the administration's broader approach to controlling immigration at the southern border.