15K Mexican Troops Head to the US Border

Military also boosts presence at border with Belize and Guatemala
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2019 6:02 PM CDT
Mexico Adds 15,000 Troops to its Force at US Border
Mexican soldiers present arms as the country's minister of defense drives by, in Tapachula, Mexico, on June 11. Mexico is adding troops at the US border.   (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico says it has sent nearly 15,000 troops to the US border. The force consists of "National Guard elements and military units," Secretary of Defense Luis Sandoval said Monday, per CNN. The deployment is part of the nation's effort to slow the flow of Central American migrants north, per US News & World Report. Mexico also has added about 2,000 National Guard members to its southern border with Belize and Guatemala, where 4,500 troops were already were stationed, Sandoval said.

The Trump administration has been pressuring Mexico on the migration issue, threatening to impose tariffs if it didn't act to secure its border. But Mexico has in turn called on the US and UN to help. "Migration is not a crime, it is an administrative responsibility," Sandoval said Monday. (More Mexican border stories.)

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