WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border, where troops are helping erect barriers and performing other tasks in support of border security.
Mattis gave no details in a brief comment to reporters Tuesday.
About 5,800 active duty troops are assigned to the border mission. Of those, about 1,000 are on or near the border in south Texas.
President Donald Trump ordered troops to the border in response to a caravan of migrants slowly making its way through Mexico toward the U.S.
In earlier comments, Mattis said the military’s mission on the border has not changed “at this time,” even though the lead migrant caravan is no longer headed toward south Texas. The caravan is now in western Mexico, with most of the migrants appearing to be headed toward Tijuana.
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