Approximately 500 U.S. Army soldiers from New York are being deployed to Arizona to enhance security and operations at the southern border, according to AZFamily.
Fort Drum announced that servicemembers are being deployed to Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, which is located just 15 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border.
The individuals are anticipated to supervise “units from various military services to assist with the increase in activity at the southern border.”
According to the report, the unit will be under the supervision of U.S. Northern Command, collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“The 10th Mountain Division stands ready to deploy our soldiers,” said Lt. Col. Sarah J. Ray, 10th Mountain Division spokesperson, in a statement. “Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, the 10th Mountain Division will deploy ready forces to support the effort to take operational control of the southern border.”
Military officials state that the soldiers are joining around 1,600 active-duty personnel from the Army and other services who had already been deployed to the southern border earlier this year. This deployment is in addition to the approximately 2,500 service members who are already supporting CBP’s southern border mission.
The U.S. committed to taking further action to prevent the flow of American guns into Mexico, contributing to the violence caused by cartels. This violence has had far-reaching consequences, as criminal organizations vie for control over the profitable industry of migrant smuggling.
This week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Trump administration is determined to achieve full control of the southern border and will take necessary steps to accomplish this objective.
“Right now, that means a surge of manpower … We’ve seen thousands of active-duty and National Guard troops come to the border with additional assets and systems that allow us to surveil,” Hegseth said to the media during his first visit to the border since being sworn in.
Last month, Hegseth announced his plan to accommodate more than 30,000 criminal migrants at Guantanamo Bay. This decision came after Trump’s approval of an executive order to carry out the initiative.
“Any assets necessary at the Defense Department to support the expulsion and detention of those in our country illegally [are] on the table, to include — as has been widely reported — Guantanamo Bay,” Hegseth said.
On Wednesday, a convoy of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks made its way along the border that separates Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas. This is part of Mexico’s response to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, as they have deployed 10,000 troops to their northern frontier.
Despite significant decreases in migration levels and fentanyl overdoses over the past year, Trump has declared a border emergency.