BORDER/IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The top U.S. general overseeing a deployment of more than 5,200 troops to the border with Mexico said on Tuesday [10-30-18] that troop levels would rise further, but declined to say how high or estimate what the operation will cost. Many basic questions remained unanswered a day after the Pentagon announced the open-ended deployment of over 5,200 active-duty troops to the border, including the scope of the mission as well as the Pentagon’s assessment of any threat posed by arriving migrants. President Donald Trump has hardened his stance on immigration ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections. He has drawn attention to a caravan of migrants that is trekking through Mexico toward the United States as he seeks to fire up support for his Republican party, which is facing some tough battles as Democrats seek to wrest control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.”
–Phil Stewart, “U.S. general says troop numbers at Mexican border to rise further,” Reuters, October 30, 2018 3:51 pm