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Parnell said Trump promised to secure the southern border, and the DOD has been on the job there since January.
Source: Department of Defense
Photos: Courtesy
From “14 Winning Weeks at DOD: Border Security, Hitting Back at Houthis, Booming Recruiting”
May 2, 2025 | By C. Todd Lopez
Department of Defense
“Tuesday marked President Trump’s 100th day in office,” said Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell during the Weekly Sitrep video, which highlights department activities each week. “At the Pentagon, our warfighters delivered historic victories for the American people in those first 100 days.”
Parnell said Trump promised to secure the southern border, and the DOD has been on the job there since January.
“We’ve … deployed approximately 11,900 troops to protect our Southwest border from illegal alien invaders, and established a national defense area,” he said. “As a result, border crossings are down 99.99% compared to the previous administration’s first 100 days. Again, pretty great.”
Securing the Southwest Border: Excerpt from Statement by Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell on the First 100 Days at the Department of Defense
- Approximately 11,900 troops are currently deployed protecting the southwest border.
- Border crossings are down 99.99% due to DoD and DHS joint interagency collaboration to secure the southwest border, compared to the first 100 days of the Biden administration.
- DoD has supported 19 transfer flights to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and 34 removal flights, with approximately 2,300 illegal aliens removed from the continental U.S.
- Established the New Mexico National Defense Area – allowing criminal illegal migrants to be apprehended by U.S. troops, transferred to appropriate civilian law enforcement, referred to the Justice Department, and prosecuted.
- In just three days, JTF-Southern Guard stood up operations to support the temporary holding of over 450 illegal aliens at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, including over 270 high-threat illegal aliens.
- From a previous baseline of 85 Mobile Surveillance Capable (MSC) sites, Active Duty service members have dramatically increased sites, now manning approximately 170 MSCs and monitoring approximately 28 Remote Video Surveillance Sites.
- Since March 20, 2025, when the Secretary of Defense authorized enhanced detection and monitoring, JTF-SB has conducted more than 300 patrols, including joint patrols with Customs and Border Protection agents.
- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Gravely (DDG 107) are actively supporting southwest border operations at sea (Gulf of America and Pacific Ocean) in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.
- On April 22,2025, USS Stockdale (DDG 106) intercepted nine migrants in the Pacific Ocean.
- Rapidly deployed U.S. Marines to improve over 16 miles of barriers along the southwest border, temporary emplacing triple-strand Concertina wire and repairing existing barriers.
- Conducted over 260 UH-72 helicopter flights for aerial detection and monitoring. Prior to Jan. 20, these National Guard helicopters were only being used for training.
- Flown over 190 airborne ISR sorties supporting this mission. Platforms include P-8s, U-2s, RC-135s, MQ-1s, and RQ-4s.
