U.S. to begin pulling troops from Trump’s border mission

WASHINGTON — The U.S. this week will begin withdrawing many of the active-duty troops sent to the border with Mexico by President Donald Trump just before the midterm election in response to a caravan of Central American migrants, U.S. officials said Monday.

About 2,200 of the active-duty troops will be pulled out before the holidays, the officials said, shrinking a domestic deployment that was viewed by critics as a political stunt and a waste of military resources.

That will leave about 3,000 active-duty troops in Arizona, California and Texas, mainly comprised of military police and helicopter transport crews who are assisting border patrol agents. There also will still be about 2,300 members of the National Guard who were sent to the border region as part of a separate deployment that started in April.

The active-duty troops, numbering about 5,200 as of Monday, were initially scheduled to stay until Dec. 15. Late last month, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis extended the mission to the end of January at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. forces have installed vast amounts of razor wire and provided transportation and protection for the Border Patrol.

Meanwhile, near San Diego on Monday, Border Patrol agents arrested 32 people at a demonstration that was organized by a Quaker group on the border with Mexico, authorities said. Demonstrators were calling for an end to detaining and deporting immigrants and showing support for caravan migrants seeking asylum in the United States.