Trump ‘plans to send 10,000 troops to the border’

Donald Trump is to send 10,000 troops to the US’s southern border to help repel an “invasion” of migrants attempting to cross from Mexico, according to a report.

The troops will assist immigration officers under new orders to seal the border and close off access to asylum, a US Customs and Border Protection (CPS) guidance document obtained by The Washington Post read.

The document was delivered to senior border officials on Tuesday as the new administration launches a “light speed” immigration crackdown it says will include finishing the construction of a southern border wall and deporting all 11 million people estimated to be living illegally in the United States.

A national emergency was declared on Monday instructing the Pentagon to send soldiers and drones to the US-Mexico border to help stop criminals and “unvetted military-age males” from entering America.

The Department of Defense said on Wednesday it would send an initial wave of 1,500 troops to the border by Friday, bolstering about 2,500 troops already there.

Helicopters and intelligence analysts will also be sent to help detect migrants as they attempt to cross the border illegally, the department added.

“This is just the beginning,” said Robert Salesses, who is serving as acting defence secretary until Pete Hegseth, Mr Trump’s initial pick for the role, is confirmed by the Senate.

“President Trump directed action from the Department of Defense on securing our nation’s borders and made clear he expects immediate results. That is exactly what our military is doing under his leadership,” Mr Salesses added.

In response to the deployment, which will include 500 troops from the United States Marine Corps, one senior military official told CNN: “Don’t be surprised if you see Marines being dropped off by helicopters.”

It is understood troops will conduct an array of tasks, with early missions being the construction of barriers such as razor wire along the US border.

The CPS document stipulates non-Mexican migrants are to be held for deportation via air, rather than being returned to Mexico.

To prepare for this, four new 10,000-capacity detention sites are to be opened, as well as 14 smaller facilities with space for 700 to 1,000 people.

Military bases may also be used as holding facilities and Canada will be asked to accept migrants that have crossed into the US illegally, the document states.

Four US military transport aircraft will be used to deport an initial 5,400 migrants, officials said, although it remains unclear where they will be deported to.

Footage posted on social media by Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, this week showed buoys designed to deter migrants being placed in the Rio Grande river, which forms part of the US-Mexico border.

“We will continue working closely with President Trump to secure the border,” Mr Abbot said. “AMERICA IS BACK!”

The president also suggested he could cut off funding from sanctuary cities that try to impede his broader immigration clampdown.

There are more than 170 sanctuary jurisdictions across the US. including California, that limit cooperation with federal agencies to deport undocumented migrants, according to the Centre for Immigration Studies.

“We’re trying to end them, and a lot of the people in those communities don’t want them,” Mr Trump told Fox News.

When asked if he would stop sending money to the cities, he said: “I might have to do that.”