The News
Thousands of US troops are patrolling the Mexico border after US President Donald Trump declared illegal migration a national emergency, but they have little to do.
Last month, Trump sent an additional 1,600 troops to the US border, joining the 2,500 National Guard and Army Reserve troops who were already stationed there.
“Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time.
Illegal crossings into the US have been dropping for over a year: In January, there were 29,000 arrests at the border, down from almost 250,000 in September 2023. Some asylum shelters have shut for lack of demand, The New York Times reported, while one soldier told The Wall Street Journal that his unit is doing “A whole lot of nothing.”
The White House and some Trump supporters argue that the decline is a result of the tough border stance, but critics argue that the huge troop deployment is a waste of money.
