Mexico has started to deploy the 10,000 troops it promised it would send to its border with the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats as his administration cracks down on border security.

Troops with the Mexican National Guard and Army were seen arriving at the border separating Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

The two largest deployment sites are Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana, where at least 1,650 troops and 1,949 troops, respectively, are expected to be sent, according to the Mexican government via The AP.

Mexican patrols were already working along the border near Tijuana on Wednesday, The AP said, and service members along the bushy outskirts of Ciudad Juárez could also be seen removing makeshift ladders and ropes tucked into trenches.

Mexican National Guard members carry a ladder they found while on patrol along the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juárez on Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

“There will be permanent surveillance on the border,” National Guard leader José Luis Santos Iza told reporters as the first set of soldiers arrived. “This operation is primarily to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, mainly fentanyl.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a diplomatic trip through Latin America, thanked the Mexican government for sending the troops to the border, according to a statement from Mexico.

At least 1,650 Mexican troops were deployed to Ciudad Juárez and 1,949 to Tijuana. (AP Photo/Martin Zetina)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.