Joint Chiefs Chairman Heads To Us-mexico Border To Assess Rapid Military Buildup

Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting troops along the U.S.-Mexico border Friday to assess the military's progress in fortifying sections of the wall , coming as the Pentagon rapidly expands its border mission in line with President Donald Trump's efforts to combat illegal immigration .

The military in the past month has quickly surged troops and equipment to the border , is seeking expanded authority for cooperation with Mexican forces, has conducted scores of deportation flights and is readying the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba , to possibly house as many as 30,000 migrants.

About 9,200 U.S. troops total are at the southern border, including 4,200 deployed under federal orders and about 5,000 National Guard troops under the control of governors.

The military has conducted 26 deportation flights to return migrants to their home countries, including military air flights to Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, India, Honduras, Peru and Panama. It also has carried out 13 flights to transport migrants to Guantanamo .

U.S. Northern Command has increased manned surveillance flights along the U.S.-Mexico border to monitor drug cartels and the movement of fentanyl and is increasing its intelligence sharing with Mexico from those flights, Gen. Gregory Guillot told senators last week.