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.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be visiting troops in El Paso, according to a post by Hegseth on X. Hegseth announced his visit to the southern border, along with Joint Task Force North, a joint service command comprised of active-duty and reserve soldiers based in Fort Bliss.

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.