(NewsNation) — Military units from across the country are rushing to provide reinforcement along the southern border following President Donald Trump’s executive order last week declaring a national emergency there.
Hundreds of troops, including from Kentucky, Washington and New York, are en route to the U.S.-Mexico border.
At least 300 troops landed in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend, and sources tell NewsNation that at least 500 soldiers are in California.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott also announced he will buttress efforts by sending at least 400 soldiers from the Texas Tactical Border Force to help the National Guard and Border Patrol agents.
Trump’s 5 biggest moves on immigration so far
Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who represents much of Texas’s southern border, said more troops are expected to arrive in the coming days and weeks. He added that Fort Bliss in El Paso will essentially be ground zero for these removal actions.
While many of the units headed to the border will not have immigration jurisdiction and cannot apprehend migrants, they will have policing authority on military bases, Gonzales said. These troops will be used as a deterrence and to assist law enforcement.
On his first day in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the border, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on American soil.
Trump’s Jan. 20 order instructed the Pentagon to send as many troops as necessary to obtain “complete operational control of the southern border of the United States.”
The president deployed an initial 1,500 troops in California and Texas.
The show of force in California and Texas comes as deportation flights have started to Central and South America.
On Friday, two U.S. military aircraft, each carrying about 80 migrants, flew from the U.S. to Guatemala, a U.S. official told reporters.
80 Guatemalans deported out of Biggs Army Airfield in Texas
Multiple deportations were carried out via flight, some of which were reportedly refused by Mexico. The White House has since claimed there was a miscommunication and that Mexico has not refused any of the flights.
Trump has threatened hefty tariffs on countries that refuse the deported migrants.
Trump said on Sunday he would impose sweeping retaliatory measures on Colombia, including tariffs and sanctions, after the South American country turned away two U.S. military aircraft with migrants being deported.
Colombia, the third largest U.S. trading partner in Latin America, swiftly responded, threatening a 50% tariff on U.S. goods.
