Mattis on border deployment: 'we don't do stunts'
131 views · Published 6 November 2018 · 1:03 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(1 Nov 2018) President Donald Trump says the number of military troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexican border could reach 15,000 - roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission whose dimensions are shifting daily. The Pentagon says "more than 7,000" troops are being sent to the Southwest border to support the Customs and Border Protection agents. Officials say that number could reach a maximum of about 8,000 under present plans. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is pushing back on suggestions that the move to send thousands of active-duty troops to the Southwest border is a political stunt ahead of the midterm elections next week. Mattis told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that the deployment of the troops is based on a request from the Department of Homeland Security. During a meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, a reporter asked if the deployment "is a political stunt, as critics allege." Mattis replied "we don't do stunts in this department." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b5ea847ab82f7c4ef1cdc8eb773d31f5
