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Members of the Texas National Guard watch the U.S.-Mexico border from an outpost along the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas, the United States, April 11, 2018. (REUTERS Photo)
WASHINGTON, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense said Wednesday it will send about 2,100 more troops to the southern border at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.
The newly deployed troops will consist of 1,100 active duty service members and about 1,000 Texas National Guard troops. The latest deployment will bring the total number of troops stationed at the Southern border to 6,600.
According to the statement, the active duty troops will support the Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) missions in aerial surveillance, operational, logistical, and administrative support, and the Texas National Guards will be either dispatched to adult migrant holding facilities or provide back-up at Texas airports and ports of entry.
"Decisions regarding arming military personnel and related rules for the use of force will be informed by the circumstances of their mission and be made by the governor of Texas, in consultation with CBP," Pentagon spokesman Chris Mitchell said.
The Trump administration first sent National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in April 2018, and active duty troops in October 2018 to help manage an influx of mostly Central American immigrants seeking entrance to the United States.
