A leaked memo from the Pentagon, dated earlier today, shows the U.S. Department of Defense now plans to send 7,000 troops toΒ the US-Mexico border in a massive military response to caravans of Central American migrantsΒ slowly moving toward the United States.
President Donald Trump said the number could be higher, saying on Wednesday that the figure could reach 15,000 service members.
Dubbed "Operation Faithful Patriot" by the Pentagon, troops from North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and Texas will be redeployed along the border, housed at military installations in California, Texas and Arizona. The memo confirms earlier statements out of Arizona Congressional offices that troops would be stationed at both Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca.Β
Another leaked memo between Pentagon officials and local Congressional offices suggest the troops will be in the region by Nov. 5,Β just days before the midterm elections.Β
Those discussions included having at least some of the troops reportedly would be staying in temporary housing, including tents at Davis-Monthan, the government source said.
The number of troops being deployed to the border is more than double the 2,000 who are in Syria fighting the Islamic State group.
The Pentagon's "Operation Faithful Patriot" was described by the commander of U.S. Northern Command as an effort to help Customs and Border Protection "harden the southern border" by stiffening defenses at and near legal entry points. Advanced helicopters will allow border protection agents to swoop down on migrants trying to cross illegally, said Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the Associated Press has reported.
