President Trump on Monday night signed an executive order authorizing the U.S. military to draft a plan for sending troops to the southern border.
The order authorizes U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), one of 11 combat command centers, to repel “forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities” at the southern border.
“Threats against our Nation’s sovereignty continue today, and it is essential that the Armed Forces staunchly continue to participate in the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Trump’s executive order reads.
“The Armed Forces of the United States have played a long and well-established role in securing our borders against threats of invasion, against unlawful forays by foreign nationals into the United States, and against other transnational criminal activities that violate our laws and threaten the peace, harmony, and tranquility of the Nation.”
The Pentagon said in a statement that it was “fully committed to carrying out the orders from our Commander-In-Chief, and is doing so immediately under his leadership.”
Trump is requesting a revised mission plan from NORTHCOM within 10 days and that his secretary of Defense receive a level 3 planning requirement, or a detailed plan, within 30 days. And he has ordered a steady planning requirement to maintain border operations.
The executive order does not establish how many or which types of troops would be deployed, whether active-duty, reserve or National Guard. Trump had pledged on the campaign trail to deploy active-duty troops.
Trump deployed active-duty troops to the border in his first term, and the previous Biden administration did as well, but both were in response to specific instances.
Trump has said there is a national emergency at the southern border, which was a central part of his campaign message, and is implementing several executive orders related to immigration and border security on his first day in office.
