Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says the Pentagon plans to send "several thousand" more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Defense officials recently extended the military's mission at the border through the end of September by approving a Department of Homeland Security request for additional support to upgrade about 160 miles of fencing and help with border surveillance.
The Trump administration deployed thousands of active duty troops to the border late last year in response to migrants traveling north through Mexico at the time.
Those troops have been supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection efforts by helping with surveillance, reinforcing barriers, and providing medical support and temporary housing.
Prior to the Pentagon's most recent mission extension, the roughly 2,300 troops still at the southern border were scheduled to remain there until the end of January.
It's up to the Pentagon to decide if any troops it deploys will be active duty or members of the National Guard. A timeline has yet to be provided for when those additional troops will be sent to the border.
