U.S. troops will remain deployed along the border through the fall, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
Among the troops staying until September are the members of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 7. They arrived at the border before the midterm elections. In December, they were laying concertina wire around the San Ysidro Port of Entry. They couldn't be seen around the Port of Entry Tuesday.
This is the third extension of the border mission. It was originally scheduled to end Dec. 15, but was extended to the end of December and then again to the end of January.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, in late December the Department of Homeland Security requested troops remain through September. The statement also says, "DOD is transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry. DOD will continue to provide aviation support."
News reports suggest more troops may be coming. There has been talk the military could be used to build more border wall, if the president declares an emergency. At the moment, there has been no change in the number of forces.
There are roughly 1,200 troops stationed in California and another 400 California National Guard troops.
