--- title: Pentagon Sends Troops to Mexican Border Amid Caravan Talk description: The Defense Department said Wednesday it sent about 250 troops to the southern border in Texas ahead of the arrival of a migrant caravan. canonical: https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/ author: W.J. Hennigan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-06T19:32:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:42:12.893Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pentagon Sends Troops to Texas Border as Trump Again Raises Fears About Caravans og:description: He warned of "large, organized caravans" of migrants in Tuesday's State of the Union address og:url: https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9bd3c99e85c297d/698940ca22fb8582a2e2752d/meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3040 og:image:height: 1710 og:image:alt: meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pentagon Sends Troops to Texas Border as Trump Again Raises Fears About Caravans twitter:description: He warned of "large, organized caravans" of migrants in Tuesday's State of the Union address twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9bd3c99e85c297d/698940ca22fb8582a2e2752d/meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pentagon Sends Troops to Texas Border as Trump Again Raises Fears About Caravans > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ba1d9831-4f7b-4a96-9bea-4938e76dcd2c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ba1d9831-4f7b-4a96-9bea-4938e76dcd2c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=ba1d9831-4f7b-4a96-9bea-4938e76dcd2c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Feb 6, 2019 7:32 PM UTC  Razor wire is used to help protect a shipping container holding guns and sensitive material. After President Trump's orders in October, some 7,000 active-duty troops began to flood border communities from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, a deployment that equals the troops fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Razor wire is used to help protect a shipping container holding guns and sensitive material. After President Trump's orders in October, some 7,000 active-duty troops began to flood border communities from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, a deployment that equals the troops fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Meridith Kohut for TIME  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Feb 6, 2019 7:32 PM UTC The Defense Department said Wednesday it sent about 250 troops to the southern border in Texas ahead of the arrival of a migrant caravan currently in Mexico. The deployment comes a day after President Donald Trump raised fears over “large, organized caravans” currently “on the march to the United States” in his annual [State of the Union address](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-state-union-address-2/) while making the argument for a massive border-wall construction project that has been stymied by Congress. Responding to the Trump’s call, the Pentagon deployed a Crisis Reaction Force, consisting of military police, medical personnel and engineers, to Eagle Pass, Texas from Arizona. The troops will work with Customs and Border Patrol agents to provide surveillance and help construct barriers for illegal crossings. The U.S. military has been forbidden to take part in domestic law enforcement since the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asked for additional military forces to reinforce the area where she expected some 2,000 migrants to enter. “Illegal entry will not be tolerated and we stand ready to prevent it,” [she said Tuesday in a statement](https://www.dhs.gov/news/2019/02/05/secretary-nielsen-statement-new-migrant-caravan). “DHS will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of law enforcement personnel on the front lines.” The caravan of impoverished Central American migrants, [many of them children](https://www.kvia.com/news/texas/migrant-caravan-reaches-mexican-town-across-river-from-eagle-pass-texas/1002523162), were traveling north through Mexico on 49 buses and have since taken shelter in an abandoned factory located in the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras. Meanwhile, [local media in Texas](https://www.kveo.com/news/local-news/migrant-caravan-closer-to-eagle-pass/1758477851) reported that Border Patrol agents, clad in riot gear and shields, wait along bridges on the American side in case they’re needed. “The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well‑being of all Americans,” Trump said during the State of the Union speech. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jim Hecker, Pentagon’s Joint Staff vice director for operations, [told the House Armed Services Committee](https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings?ID=FB85FE17-B0F5-41D6-8582-ACE18ABB36E5) on Wednesday that the military was called upon for help, so it sent a “Crisis Reaction Force.” However, he noted no urgent danger of attack. “I’m not aware of a single terrorist in” the caravan, he said. Navy Captain Bill Speaks, a Pentagon spokesman, said the new support in Texas “is being provided under existing authorities and in accordance with previously approved requests for support. He added that the Defense Department “continues to work closely with CBP to assess the situation and determine how best to support CBP’s mission needs.” [Since last fall, American forces have strung coils](http://time.com/5455702/what-life-is-like-for-the-thousands-of-troops-at-the-border-who-are-waiting-with-no-enemy-to-fight/) of razor wire atop southern border fences and points of entry with Mexico. The Pentagon has about 2,400 active-duty troops deployed on the current border mission, with plans to boost that by 3,750 later this month. “Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border,” [Trump posted Tuesday](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1092787440560078849) on Twitter. “We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event!” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/"},"headline":"Pentagon Sends Troops to Texas Border as Trump Again Raises Fears About Caravans","datePublished":"2019-02-06T19:32:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:42:12.893Z","description":"The Defense Department said Wednesday it sent about 250 troops to the southern border in Texas ahead of the arrival of a migrant caravan.","url":"https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/","keywords":["Military","state of the union","Immigration","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9bd3c99e85c297d/698940ca22fb8582a2e2752d/meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"W.J. Hennigan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9bd3c99e85c297d/698940ca22fb8582a2e2752d/meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018","caption":"meridith-kohut-border-troops-top-100-photos-2018","creditText":"Meridith Kohut for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5523065/pentagon-sends-troops-to-texas-border-as-trump-again-raises-fears-about-caravans/","name":"Pentagon Sends Troops to Texas Border as Trump Again Raises Fears About Caravans"}}]}] ```