Trump threatens to send the military to guard Mexico border

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to send military forces to secure the southern border on Tuesday as he continued to vent frustration over the lack of progress on his long-promised wall.

“We are going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said Tuesday during a White House lunch with Baltic leaders.

He called the measure a “big step.”

The U.S. Border Patrol is currently tasked with protecting the U.s.-mexico border.

Trump has railed in recent days against “weak” immigration laws in the U.S. – declaring protections for young immigrants “dead,” accusing Democrats of allowing “open borders, drugs and crime,” and warning Mexico to halt the passage of “caravans” of immigrants. Throughout the 2016 election, Trump campaigned on the promise of a “big, beautiful” wall that would be paid for by Mexico.

After taking office he said that Congress should approve the use of taxpayer funds to cover the $25 billion his administration said would be needed to start work on the project.

Trump has also privately floated the idea of funding the construction of border wall through the Pentagon, arguing it is a national security priority.

There are strict rules that prohibit such spending that’s not authorized by Congress.

“Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said Tuesday. “We really haven’t done that before, or certainly not very much before.”

The call for troops along the border does recall a project started by former President George W. Bush.