MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed that full control of the southern border is the goal of the Trump administration and all of the intergovernmental agencies working to enforce border security.
Talking to the media during his first visit to the border after being sworn in, Hegseth was asked what mission accomplishment looks like.
'Mission accomplishment means 100% operational control of the border,' Hegseth said. 'Right now, that means a surge of manpower . We've seen thousands of active-duty and National Guard troops come to the border with additional assets and systems that allow us to surveil'.
The Defense Department announced last month that it would be sending 1,500 active-duty service members to the border along with additional air and intelligence assets to assist other federal agencies and branches of service that are working to enforce border security.
Hegseth also highlighted the recent announcement that Mexico agreed to cooperate with enforcement operations from that country's side of the border.
'Because of President Trump's adept ability to negotiate, we now have 10,000 Mexican troops that are going to be patrolling on the other side of the border. So, there's cooperation with Mexico, as well,' Hegseth said.
Commenting on the day-to-day activities of the U.S. troops currently operating on the border, Hegseth explained that the federal troops are able to relieve U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from their observational duties so that those agents can then perform arrests.
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