On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that he would have the US military guard the border between the US and Mexico as he indicated a further crackdown on illegal immigration is on the way while slamming current US border laws as being too weak.
Trump has made public remarks as well as comments on Twitter for three days in a row, warning of the threat posed by uncontrolled immigration, but his immigration strategy had not included sending the military to the southern border, having previously pressured Congress to fund a border wall and threatening to quit the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump announced on Tuesday that until proper border security, including the wall, was implemented, the military would guard the border, acknowledging that the decision was a ‘big step’.
At a news conference with three Baltic nation leaders, Trump said that he was set to meet with Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis, to talk about a military deployment to the southern border, as it is something he believes has to be done. Troops have been deployed to the border before, with 1200 troops with the National Guard sent there by the Obama administration to assist Border Patrol in 2010 amid concerns over drug trafficking.
Trump said that current US laws give little protection to the Mexican border, calling them unsafe and ‘horrible’ but that his administration also intends to address that issue very soon.