U.S. Marines with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, affix concertina wire to engineer stakes on the barrier along the southern border near San Ysidro, Calif., Mar. 2, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border with additional military forces. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dominic Atlas)
The deployments, which were ordered just days after President Trump took office, have helped put an almost sudden stop to the record-setting illegal crossings seen in recent years.
The number of southern border apprehensions in February hit lows not seen since the year 2000, according to CBP data, while CBP agent encounters with illegal migrants have also fallen sharply, with the agency recording just 30,000 encounters in February, compared to the over 130,000 recorded during the same time period in 2023 and 2024.
According to Stalnaker, the military forces currently assisting at the border have had a lot to do with the recent success.
"It's not just walls and c-wire, it's also our weather roads. It gives us access, quick access, to be able to move our agents … to be able to respond to an event, a law enforcement event," he said.
The nearly 500 Marines operating at the border as part of Task Force Sapper have helped CBP by reinforcing existing border barriers with additional protection, including the welding of razor wire that has been strategically placed to slow down any potential crossings and give CBP agents time to react.
Army soldiers out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, man U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance equipment. (Michael Lee: Fox News Digital)
On Otay Mountain, which lies southeast of San Diego and overlooks the border near the Mexican city of Tijuana, Army soldiers perched high above a popular crossing valley helped operate a CBP surveillance station that can detect the potential movements of illegal crossings for miles in the surrounding area. While CBP agents are trained and typically tasked with operating the equipment, the help of Army soldiers has allowed CBP to make more efficient use of their limited resources.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance equipment currently being manned by Army soldiers out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. (Michael Lee: Fox News Digital)
Facing limited manning, the CBP spokesperson said that the troops at the border have allowed agents to focus their attention on responding to crossers and making apprehensions, all done with the assistance of troops who are in constant contact with their CBP counterparts.
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Those Army forces have contributed to the drastic turnaround at the once-busy border sector.
"They're a great partner," Stalnaker said. "We enjoy having them out here."
Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-putting-troops-border-game-changer-san-diego-sector-chief-says-force-multiplier