Trump: Number of troops sent to border could reach 15,000

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the number of military troops deployed to the US-Mexican border could go as high as 15,000 as he draws a hard line on immigration in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

With his eyes squarely on next Tuesday's contests, Trump has rushed a series of immigration declarations, promises and actions as he tries to mobilize supporters to retain Republican control of Congress. His own Republican campaign in 2016 concentrated on border fears, and that's his focus in the final week of the midterm fight.

"As far as the caravan is concerned, our military is out," Trump said Wednesday. "We have about 5,800. We'll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border."
"I honestly don't even know where that came from," he said. "That is not in line with what we've been planning."