Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the troops will fly helicopters to assist Border Patrol agents and help in the construction of barriers.

The move enacts President Trump's executive orders issued shortly after he took office to intensify immigration enforcement.

This is just the beginning,” one Defense official said about the deployment of active-duty troops to the border with Mexico.

The deployment signals the military’s increased role in a much more aggressive immigration policy under the second Trump administration.

The troops will join 2,500 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers who’ve been called to active duty in recent months.

Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” Pete Hegseth, the new defense secretary, told reporters on Monday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the additional troops will work alongside federal border agents amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that he and President Donald Trump want to “bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.”

This was the first time in recent memory that military aircraft were used to fly migrants out of the country, one U.S. official said.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will begin deploying as many as ... guard at a checkpoint near the International Bridge between Mexico and the United States, where migrants are waiting to be processed ...

The Pentagon also will provide military aircraft ... a nod to the president’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Trump said during his inaugural address on Monday that “I will declare ...

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Wednesday it has begun deploying ... a nod to the president’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Trump said during his inaugural address on Monday that ...