President Donald Trump has thrust the military into a central role in deterring illegal crossings into the U.S. at its southern border.

U.S. Army Sgt. Salvador Hernandez stands beside Stryker combat vehicles while watching over the U.S.-Mexico border fence from ...

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — In 2006, top U.S. Border Patrol officials were asked how long it would take to hire 6,000 agents, a roughly 50% increase at the time. Michael Fisher, then deputy chief in ...

A Border Patrol agent looks on as a family from Colombia is detained and escorted to a bus by federal agents following an appearance at immigration court Monday, July 14, 2025, in San Antonio.

There are now more than 10,000 military troops, including active‑duty soldiers and Marines and National Guard forces, stationed along the southern border.

The guardsmen are deployed as members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation have expressed increasing concern about the use of military resources to support Trump’s immigration and border policies.

The zones will be patrolled by at least 7,600 members of the armed forces, vastly expanding the U.S. government presence on the border.