In a news release posted on Facebook, Joint Task Force North said Hegseth will visit Fort Bliss on Monday, Feb. 3 and the local area "to see the efforts of military men and women are undertaking in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities to secure the border." Media advisory from the Joint Task Force North Public Affairs Office.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to visit troops deployed the U.S. border with Mexico about a week after the Pentagon boosted its mission to the region by 1,600 active-duty service members.

Hegseth wrote, "Border Security is national security" before arriving in Texas Monday. Fort Bliss, one of the U.S. Army's installations in Texas, began providing support last week in response to the national emergency declared by Trump. Military aircrafts are now being used to conduct deportation flights to Latin America.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) (not pictured), on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.

Pete Hegseth's visit comes as encounters with immigrants at the southern border have decreased by 93%, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Fort Bliss said Hegseth will host a media event and is here to “see the efforts military men and women are undertaking in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities to secure the southern border.