Mattis Approves U.S. Troops at Border With Mexico

Mattis Approves U.S. Troops at Border With Mexico
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis answers a question from the news media as U.S. President Donald Trump spoke during a gathering for a briefing from his senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, on Oct. 23, 2018. Leah Millis/Reuters
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WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has authorized the use of troops and other military resources at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said on Oct. 26, bolstering President Donald Trump’s battle against migrants trekking toward the United States.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mattis’ authorization did not include a specific number of troops, something that would be determined at a later point, and was not itself a “deployment order.”