Trump sends troops to Mexico border; personnel will have no arms, says Mexico

Within a day of floating the idea of sending the military to the US-Mexico wall to prevent illegal immigration, US President signed on Wednesday, April 4, signed a proclamation ordering the deployment of the National Guard to the said border.

Trump has been vocal throughout this week over the issue, saying he would take strong steps like killing agreements like Daca (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and Nafta (North American Free Trade Agreement) if neighbouring countries like Mexico did not do stop the flow of 'drugs and people' into the US territory. He also blasted the Democrats for establishing 'weak' laws that the Mexicans allegedly violated at will.

Authorising the move to deploy the personnel, Trump said the "lawlessness" that prevailed in the USA's southern border was "fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people" and added that his administration was left with no other choice but this.

Trump pledged the military deployment at the southern border till his much-emphasised wall came up at a luncheon meeting with the heads of three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - at the White House.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsens said the troops' movement could begin on Wednesday night while other officials said the details of the mobilisation of the personnel were still being jotted out.

Although the US federal laws bar the use of active-duty service members for the task of law-enforcement inside the US unless authorised by the Congress, presidents over the last 12 years have sent National Guard troops to the border to look after the security at least twice. While George W Bush did it in 2006, his successor Barack Obama did it in 2010.

Troops won't carry arms: the US told Mexico

Meanwhile, Mexico has said that its foreign secretary was informed by Nielsen that the troops deployed at the border would not carry arms nor carry out migration or customs control activities, Daily Mail reported.

Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray is currently in Washington and Nielsen spoke to her about the troops' movement, said a statement issued by the foreign ministry.