Washington — Trump administration officials are considering deploying more than 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and using Defense Department bases to hold migrants awaiting deportation as they draw up their plan. Dramatic action on illegal immigrationAccording to an internal government memo obtained by CBS News.
In an executive action Mr Trump signed when he took office on Monday, he declared a national emergency at the southern border ordered The Department of Defense would provide troops and resources “to support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security in achieving full operational control” of the border. He also directed the Army to help build border barriers to repel migrants.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters that the president has signed another executive order to deploy 1,500 troops to the southern border, where 2,500 troops are already deployed under federal orders. Texas and other states have also deployed National Guard troops to the border in recent years, including fortifying it with razor wire.
But a Jan. 21 Interior Customs and Border Protection memo indicates there are plans to send “~10,000 troops” to help the agency's mission at the southern border. According to the document, the Trump administration “[u]”Unreported request” to the Pentagon for increased resources and personnel to assist CBP with technology and infrastructure.
The memo also said the Defense Department could convert its bases into “holding facilities,” possibly to help CBP detain immigrants entering the U.S. illegally.
Additionally, the memo shows that the Trump administration plans to dramatically expand detention capacity at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is expected to be at the center of Mr. Trump's promised mass deportations.
According to the document, ICE officials want 14 new detention facilities with the capacity to hold 1,000 immigrants each and another four with the capacity to hold 10,000 immigrant detainees each.
Mr Trump's plan to vastly expand the US military's role in border enforcement – historically limited to operational and administrative duties – is part of a larger campaign to seal US borders to migrants and asylum seekers.
The Trump administration has also directed US immigration agents at the border with Mexico and Canada Deport migrants swiftly and briefly They entered the country illegally and were not given the opportunity to request asylum, according to CBP officials and internal documents.
Those directives are being implemented in line with an unprecedented order issued by Mr Trump, who has suspended the entry of unauthorized immigrants into the country, based on the argument that they are “invading” the US and threatening the public. Endangering health and national security.
Mr Trump said he was allowed to take drastic measures through powers in the US Constitution and a law called 212(f) that gives presidents the authority to bar the entry of foreigners whose arrival would be detrimental to US interests. is considered “harmful”.
While Mr. Trump made immigration a top issue in the campaign, his administration inherited a relatively quiet southern border, where illegal crossings were at a four-year low. Illegal crossings into the US in 2024 are set to drop from record highs in the previous three years due to a Mexican crackdown on migrants. They declined further after the Biden administration imposed a ban on asylum last June.
Contributed to this report.
