President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that he will send additional troops to the Southwest border with Mexico to prevent “caravans” from entering.
"More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built!" the president wrote in a tweet.
Over 2,000 troops already have been sent to the border, starting just before the midterm elections last year. The mission, which peaked with a total of 5,900 troops, was initially set to last until Dec. 15, but was first extended to Jan. 31 and then again to Sept. 30. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said earlier this week that the Pentagon would send “several thousand” additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, though he declined to give an exact number, according to The Hill.
A Pentagon spokesperson later said that the Department of Defense is “currently sourcing the units involved and there will be an increase of a few thousand troops. We will provide more clarity on the numbers when we have it."
At the end of this month, the mission will have cost the U.S. $132 million, according to the Vice Admiral for the Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Gilday.
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