The Department of Defense on Tuesday announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered troops at the U.S. southern border to begin conducting patrols to dissuade people considering entering the country illegally.
The directive, which was given last week, is a change after the troops were largely static in Texas and Arizona. There are currently 9,000 active troops along the southern border, who have largely carried out logistics and back-end work, per Politico.
Defense officials said that the troops will still not be used for law enforcement activities, which is prohibited by federal law, but will report all illegal crossings to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"Conducting patrols, either on foot or mounted, creates a more proactive and adaptable posture compared to static posts," Army Maj. Jennifer L. Staton, a Defense Department spokesperson, said in a statement. "The dynamic approach of patrolling allows service members to cover a larger area of the border, affording them dynamic observation across multiple angles and distances."
Service members assigned to the Joint Task Force Southern Border can now move either on foot or onboard Stryker armored vehicles.
The troops will be armed and are allowed to protect themselves if necessary, Army Maj. Jared Stefani said last week.