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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived in Texas to visit US troops stationed along the southern border as the Pentagon continues to ramp up efforts to support President Trump’s deportation and border control efforts.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after taking office, President Trump significantly increased border security and deportation efforts by deploying thousands of military personnel to support immigration enforcement. He ordered the Pentagon to send 1,600 active-duty troops, bringing the total to 4,000 currently stationed at the southern border. This force supplements the 2,500 National Guard troops who have been assisting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since 2018.
What’s going on now: Earlier today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Texas for his first official visit to the US-Mexico border since taking office. He was accompanied by White House border czar Tom Homan as he toured Fort Bliss in El Paso, where active-duty troops are receiving training before deploying to various locations along the border. Hegseth met with military personnel to assess their role in supporting CBP operations and reviewed the logistical, surveillance, and aerial reconnaissance support they are providing. His visit also included an inspection of fortification efforts along the border, where troops have been reinforcing barriers and assisting CBP agents in monitoring migrant activity.
During his visit, Hegseth will also oversee the establishment of a new military headquarters, led by the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, to coordinate expanded border operations.
This all comes as the Pentagon ramps up efforts to convert Guantánamo Bay into a large-scale migrant detention facility, following President Trump’s directive to prepare the site to house deported individuals. The Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, is working to establish a 30,000-person facility at the military base in Cuba, a site historically used to detain terror suspects. Marines have already arrived to begin expanding the facility, with White House border czar Tom Homan stating that he hopes detainees can be moved there within 30 days.
