The Pentagon has been scrambling to put in motion Trump’s executive orders signed shortly after he took office on Jan. 20. The first group of 1,600 active duty troops has already deployed to the border, and close to 500 more soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to begin moving in the coming days.

The Mexican troops will be posted to hot spots along the border with high rates of illegal migration and drug and weapons trafficking.

Mexican military and National Guard troops search the embankment of the Rio Grande for smugglers in the Valley of Juárez on Feb. 5, 2025. The soldiers were deployed as part of the binational agreement between Mexico and the U.S. to avoid tariffs on Mexican exports to the U.S.