Pete Hegseth Visits Troops at Southern Border in First Trip as Defense Secretary

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday visited U.S. troops at Fort Bliss, Texas, who are part of the mission to secure the nation’s southern border, in his first trip as defense secretary.

“Wheels Down with @RealTomHoman visiting @fortblisstexas! Looking forward to meeting our great warriors and seeing the hard work they are doing securing our southern border. We will continue to deliver on this vital mission,” Hegseth posted on X.

Hegseth announced his visit the previous evening, adding, “POTUS wants 100% operational control of the border — and we will deliver. BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY.”

On his first day as president, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and directed via executive order for the DOD to take all appropriate action to support the Department of Homeland Security in obtaining complete operational control of the border. The EO states:

The Secretary of Defense shall further take all appropriate action to facilitate the operational needs of the Secretary of Homeland Security along the southern border, including through the provision of appropriate detention space, transportation (including aircraft), and other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations.

Sec. 2.  Additional Physical Barriers.  The Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security shall immediately take all appropriate action, consistent with law, including 10 U.S.C. 2214, to construct additional physical barriers along the southern border.  To the extent possible, the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security shall coordinate with any Governor of a State that is willing to assist with the deployment of any physical infrastructure to improve operational security at the southern border.

So far, under Trump, the Pentagon has sent 1,600 active duty troops to the border, to augment the 2,500 active duty troops who were already there — a 60-percent increase to more than 4,000 active duty troops — as well as additional air and intelligence assets.

The troops — which include 500 Marines — are placing physical barriers and conducting other missions. They are working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to secure the border.

The Pentagon is also providing aircraft for flights operated by the DHS, to deport more than 5,000 individuals detained by CBP in San Diego and El Paso, including two C-130 Hercules, two C-17 Globemaster aircraft and two Army UH-72 Lakota military helicopters.

State leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have also sent additional National Guard forces and aircraft.

Trump has also ordered via executive order that criminal migrants be detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Hegseth said during a recent interview on the Will Cain Show that Naval Station Guantanamo Bay is the “perfect place” to safely detain them.

He said they would not be detained at the same facilities that have held terrorist suspects, but another part that has provided migrant and refugee resettlement for several decades.

“This is not the camps,” said Hegseth, who served there in 2004 to 2005. “This is a temporary transit which is already the mission of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where we can plus-up thousands — and tens of thousands, if necessary — to humanely move illegals out of our country where they do not belong [and] back to the countries where they came from in proper process.”

“President Trump is dead serious about getting illegal criminals out of our country,” he said. “And the DOD is not only willing to — it’s proud to — partner with DHS to defend the sovereignty of our southern border and advance that mission.”

Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on ”X”, Truth Social, or on Facebook.