America has plenty of enemies. And they don’t take holidays.
Now Pete Hegseth deployed thousands of troops to fight this existential threat.
The Pentagon has deployed approximately 3,000 active-duty troops to strengthen security along the U.S.-Mexico border, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s border enforcement strategy.
A Stryker Brigade Combat Team—equipped with its signature Stryker vehicles—is scheduled to arrive at the southern border “in the coming weeks,” according to the Defense Department.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the deployment to “reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” a Defense Department spokesman confirmed.
“[T]heir deployment underscores the Department’s unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership,” Defense spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
According to The Washington Post, Hegseth approved the move on Friday.
Alongside the Stryker Brigade, additional troops specializing in engineering, intelligence, and public affairs will also be stationed at the border.
The decision reflects the administration’s tougher stance on illegal immigration and its efforts to combat drug cartels operating on the Mexican side.
In a January 31 phone call with Mexican officials, Hegseth reportedly warned that the U.S. might take unilateral military action if Mexico failed to crack down on cartel activity, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Mexican officials reportedly viewed Hegseth’s remarks as a clear warning that U.S. forces could cross into Mexican territory to target the cartels—a move they argue would infringe on Mexico’s sovereignty.
“We are dead serious about 100% OPERATIONAL CONTROL of the southern border,” Hegseth declared in a social media post on Saturday, signaling the administration’s firm commitment to border security.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped sharply.
Over the weekend, Trump highlighted the latest figures on social media, touting the administration’s success in curbing illegal immigration.
“The month of February, my first full month in Office, had the LOWEST number of Illegal Immigrants trying to enter our Country in History – BY FAR!” Trump said.
“There were only 8,326 apprehensions of Illegals by Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico Border, all of whom were quickly ejected from our Nation or, when necessary, prosecuted for crimes against the United States of America.”
He continued, “This means that very few people came – The Invasion of our Country is OVER. In comparison, under Joe Biden, there were 300,000 Illegals crossing in one month, and virtually ALL of them were released into our Country.”
The latest deployment adds to a broader push by the Trump administration to assert control over the southern border, as the president emphasizes national sovereignty and security while drawing a stark contrast to his predecessor’s border policies.
