Pentagon appears poised to extend Mexico border deployment

The Pentagon received a request on Friday from the Trump administration to extend its deployment of troops to the US border with Mexico beyond December 15 authorisation date to the end of January, officials said. 

President Donald Trump ordered the deployment shortly before November congressional elections as a part of an effort to crack down on illegal immigration, as waves of thousands of migrants escaping violence in Central America trekked towards the United States. 

Border security is a major issue among voters in Trump`s Republican Party.

Critics, including opposition Democrats in Congress but also some US military veterans, have derided the troop deployment as a political stunt. Democrats have threatened to investigate the deployment once they take control in the House of Representatives next year.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement, cited the "the very real threat we face at the border from potential mass migration actions" when it confirmed the extension of the mission, which had been reported earlier on Friday by Reuters.

"The president has made it clear that border security is a top administration priority," DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement.

This request refines support to ensure it remains aligned with the current situation, the nature of the mission, and Customs and Border Patrol operational requirements.

About 5,600 troops have been deployed to the border, but many of them have been involved in efforts to improve security around border crossings, including stringing up concertina wire. Many of those troops could be sent home. Remaining troops could focus on other missions, including helping fly US border personnel to new positions along the border.

Still, officials caution that its unclear how far troop levels will decline. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said troop levels were not expected to decline dramatically.

Neither the Pentagon nor the DHS speculated about troop levels on Friday.

The Trump administration has justified the high-profile border mission on a perceived threat to the border, as thousands of migrants, mostly migrants from Honduras, flooded into the city of Tijuana across the border from San Diego, California, over the past several weeks.

US customs and border control officers fired tear gas canisters into Mexico at dozens of migrants who tried to rush border fencing on Sunday.

Under the harsh immigration policies introduced by the Trump administration, US border officials say the migrants may have to stay put in Mexico for months before they can petition authorities for asylum.