Trump says troops to remain at Mexico border 'as long as necessary'
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Central American migrants headed for the US rest at a sports centre in Tijuana, Mexico.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Saturday (Nov 17) defended his controversial deployment of thousands of troops to the US-Mexico border, confirming they would remain in place "as long as necessary".
"We have a tremendous military force on the southern border, we have large numbers of people trying to get into our country," he told reporters at the White House ahead of a visit to California.
"They built great fencing, they built a very powerful fence," he added.
Some 5,900 active-duty troops are now stationed along the border, a contentious deployment in support of civilian forces that Trump ordered ahead of the recent midterm elections.
Opponents have criticised the cost and usefulness of the operation, dismissing it as a political stunt.
An additional 2,100 or so National Guardsmen have been deployed to support operations at the border, bringing the total military presence to about 8,000.
