BORDER/DHS/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The new Department of Homeland Security Request for Assistance for additional US troops and other logistical support on the southern border has been sent to the Pentagon but has yet to be signed by acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan, according to two US defense officials. The request arrived late Wednesday [4-24-19] and is being reviewed. There are no guarantees that all the requests will be approved, and the Department of Defense has previously rejected requests, pending DHS edits. At the Pentagon last Friday, Shanahan told reporters he did not ‘have a finite number’ in terms of how many additional troops would be sent but that the Pentagon was ‘looking at anticipating’ what DHS needs prior to the receipt of a formal request for assistance…Over the last year thousands of American troops ahve been deployed to the southern border. At its peak, some 5,900 troops were part of the border mission, which has involved surveillance, aviation support and the placement of concertina wire between ports of entry. Currently there are 3,000 active duty troops and 2,000 National Guard personnel deployed in support of border security.”
–Ryan Browne and Kate Sullivan, “DHS request for more troops at the border is sent to the Pentagon,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, April 25, 2019 9:07 pm