Premier combat unit ordered to prep for border as Trump steps up crackdown of border crossings

WASHINGTON — One of the Pentagon’s premier units has been ordered to prepare to be deployed to the southern border, part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on border crossings.

The 10th Mountain Division has received a warning order to deploy troops to the southern border and has sent planners to U.S. Northern Command for the mission, according to an Army official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The 10th Mountain Division is designed to send combat-ready forces on short notice to hotspots around the world.

It is not clear how many soldiers from the division, a light-infantry formation, will be sent to the border. But two of its brigades are unavailable due to overseas deployments: an infantry brigade is in Europe, and its aviation brigade is in the process of returning from the Middle East.

Also Friday, the division abruptly scrapped a long-planned war game exercise for its leadership at Fort Drum, N.Y., according to a second Army source who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move follows an initial order by the Pentagon of about 1,500 active-duty forces to the border earlier this week.

Trump has called migrants crossing the southern border a "national emergency," even though unauthorized border crossings have dropped to their lowest levels in five years. In early January, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported roughly 1,000 migrant encounters daily across the entire U.S.-Mexico border  – down 75% from a year ago."

Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is funded by a grant from Outrider Foundation. Outrider Foundation does not provide editorial input. You can reach Davis via email at [email protected] or via the Signal encrypted messaging app at 770-539-3257.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Combat unit ordered to prep for border as part of border crackdown