The Pentagon will begin deploying as many as 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, U.S. officials said Wednesday, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration.

This is just the beginning,” one Defense official said about the deployment of active-duty troops to the border with Mexico.

The actions prompted a tense standoff between the U.S. and Colombia after Colombia's president turned away deportation flights from the U.S. Trump then threatened tariffs as high as 25% against the South American nation, causing its leader to reverse course and accept deported migrants.

The move enacts President Trump's executive orders issued shortly after he took office to intensify immigration enforcement.

The I Marine Expeditionary Force is made up of about 53,000 active-duty troops, who are primarily stationed at Camp Pendleton, as well as at Marine Corps Air Stations Miramar and Yuma, and the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center at 29 Palms, California.

There are already about 2,500 U.S. National Guard and Reserve forces there. Zoom in: The Pentagon will also provide military aircraft to support the Department of Homeland Security's deportation flights of more than 5,000 undocumented immigrants from the areas of San Diego, California; and El Paso, Texas.

The Trump administration didn’t waste any time in enacting their immigration agenda as ICE raids were performed in cities across the country and more troops were deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Former Deputy Press Secretary of the Department of Defense Sabrina Singh shares her thoughts on these developments and more.

The Pentagon is expected on Wednesday to begin the process of sending about 1,500 active military troops to the southern U.S. border to help help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. The process will start with acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses signing the orders, according to The Associated Press.

The Pentagon also will provide military aircraft ... a nod to the president's directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Trump said during his inaugural address on Monday that "I will declare a ...

The Pentagon is sending up to 1,500 troops to help secure the southern border as President Trump pushes to stem the tide of migrants entering the country. Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses is expected to sign a release order on Wednesday,

The Pentagon said Wednesday it has begun deploying 1,500 active-duty troops to help secure the southern border, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly