A Department of Homeland Security request to extend the border security mission of up to 5,500 servicemembers has been approved through fiscal year 2020 by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.
The troops on the U.S.-Mexico border provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection support for infrastructure, operations, detection, monitoring, and air support, but are not involved in construction of the border wall, according Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell to Stars and Stripes.
"These missions can be supported with manageable impacts to readiness, and are contingent on the availability of funds and the continued statutory authority to provide such support," Mitchell said, per the report.
There are almost 5,000 American troops – 2,900 active duty and 2,000 National Guard – currently active on the southern border, although that number fluctuates since President Donald Trump first authorized National Guard members to serve in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in April 2018, according to the report.
The cost of the current deployment is estimated to be about $500 million through fiscal year 2019, which ends Sept. 30, according to Stars & Stripes.
The border wall construction, a separate Defense Department order, had been approved for $3.6 billion from the military construction budget to pay for 11 border barrier projections, which came in addition to the $2.5 billion that was previously approved, according to the report.
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