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US to keep about 4,000 troops at border through January

U.S. officials say the number of active-duty troops at the southern border will drop from 5,600 to about 4,000, and their deployment will extend through the end of January

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2018, photo, members of the U.S. military install multiple tiers of concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande near the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas. The Pentagon is estimating the cost of the military's mission on the U.S.-Mexico border will be about $210 million under current plans.
FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2018, photo, members of the U.S. military install multiple tiers of concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande near the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas. The Pentagon is estimating the cost of the military's mission on the U.S.-Mexico border will be about $210 million under current plans.Read moreEric Gay / AP
    by LOLITA C. BALDOR, The Associated Press
    Published 

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the number of active-duty troops on the border with Mexico will drop from 5,600 to about 4,000, and their deployment will be extended through the end of January.

Officials say the Department of Homeland Security submitted a formal request for the additional military support Friday. It hasn't been approved by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. But military officials have been working with DHS for weeks to help craft a request that would be accepted by the Pentagon.

President Donald Trump deployed the troops to the border in response to a caravan of migrants walking to the U.S. from Central America. Critics have called the deployment a political stunt before the midterm elections.

U.S. officials talked about the troop deployment on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.