Who can wait them out longer: Mexico or the US?
The number of U.S. active duty troops at the southern border will drop from 5,600 to about 4,000, and their deployment will be extended through the end of January, under a new request from Homeland Security, U.S. officials said Friday.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is traveling and has not yet approved the DHS troop proposal. But military officials have been working with the agency on the request and it is expected to get approval.
President Donald Trump ordered the unusual deployment of active-duty troops to the border in response to a caravan of Central American migrants slowly north toward the U.S. Critics dismissed the deployment as a political stunt ahead of the midterm elections
Most of the troops have been deployed in Texas, far from where the migrants eventually arrived in Tijuana, along the southern border with California. Soldiers have strung vast amounts of concertina wire and transported Border Patrol agents but have not been engaged in any law enforcement activities, which would be prohibited under U.S. law.
U.S. to keep about 4,000 troops at border through January
The number of U.S. active duty troops at the southern border will drop from 5,600 to about 4,000, and their deployment will be extended through the end of January, under a new request from Homeland Security, U.S. officials said Friday.