U.S. Keeps 9,000 Troops on Mexico Border as Threats Rise Despite Crossing Drop
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
U.S. Keeps 9,000 Troops on Mexico Border as Threats Rise Despite Crossing Drop
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Summary
About 9,000 active-duty troops remain deployed across nearly 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border more than a year into the mission, with no clear end point.
Illegal crossings have already fallen sharply, but the Pentagon is keeping the force in place to target smugglers and drug cartels, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars each week.
U.S. patrols working with Customs and Border Protection and the Mexican military have pushed cartels and smugglers into more remote mountainous areas, where officials say threats to American troops are increasing.
Congressional critics and outside analysts say the border mission is pulling active-duty forces away from training for potential deployments in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, raising readiness concerns.