The United States is stepping up its presence along the southern border, sending extra soldiers and ramping up watch operations to tackle ongoing security woes.
U.S. Northern Command recently announced over 600 fresh troops are headed down, including about 590 Army engineers from outfits like the:
– 20th Engineer Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
– 19th Engineer Battalion at Fort Knox, Kentucky
– 15th Engineer Company at Fort Knox, Kentucky
– 687th Engineer Company at Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
They will be patching up the border’s framework—walls, fences, whatever holds the line—though exact plans will firm up once they hit the ground.
Another 40 Air Force intel analysts, pulled from active and reserve units, are joining the Joint Intelligence Task Force – Southern Border to keep eyes sharp from above.
This bumps the total troop count at the border to roughly 9,600, give or take as rotations and planning shake out.
This push follows President Donald Trump’s call to label the border situation a national emergency.
General Gregory Guillot from Northern Command is doubling down, cranking up flight missions to track Mexico’s drug cartels and throw sand in the gears of their smuggling operations.
Texas is also actively engaged, not standing idle. Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star has been rolling since 2021 and has state troopers and the National Guard out in force.
Even with crossings reportedly dipping, Abbott’s not easing off, dead-set on keeping Texas sealed tight.
The Mexican government’s response has been mixed, shifting with the pressure. President Claudia Sheinbaum made noise about respecting Mexico’s turf, pushing back on U.S. moves to tag cartels as terrorists.
But she’s also made moves to secure the border. In early February, she pledged 10,000 National Guard troops to the border, spread across 18 cities and towns, after Trump dangled steep tariffs over Mexico’s head.