Massive Military Spending At Southern Border Surpasses $300 Million

 

The Trump administration's expansive military operation at the southern border, aimed at reducing immigration and drug trafficking, has already cost taxpayers over $300 million, according to sources briefed on data from the Defense Department comptroller. This substantial spending comes even as the administration pushes for an overall reduction in government size and an 8% cut to the department’s budget.

In the first month alone, the Pentagon spent approximately $250 million, including costs for deportation flights on military aircraft, the deployment of thousands of additional troops, and the expansion of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. By March 12, total expenditures had reached $328 million. The Department of Defense Comptroller briefed lawmakers on these costs earlier this month.

“We saw that and we were like, whoa — that’s high,” a defense official remarked.

If this spending trend continues—which seems likely given the addition of two warships to the region and administration officials' commitment to expanding operations—the military could be on track to spend more than $2 billion in the first year alone.

“They’re drunk on Overseas Contingency Operations money,” another official stated, referring to military funding set aside for operations outside the base budget.

Shifting Border Security to a Military Mission

The cost of this military operation underscores the administration’s determination to shift border enforcement from a traditionally domestic law enforcement role into a full-scale military mission. However, the total price tag across federal agencies remains unclear. These figures do not include additional spending by the Department of Homeland Security, intelligence agencies, and other governmental entities that have also ramped up their presence at the border following President Trump’s national emergency declaration.

The administration justifies these rising costs as necessary to combat what it describes as an “invasion” of migrants and fentanyl trafficking. Under Trump, the intelligence community has, for the first time, identified drug cartels as the top threat facing the country in its annual review. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has prioritized defending the U.S. homeland from “unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, and trafficking,” declaring it the military’s foremost concern.

Critics argue that the administration is exaggerating the threat, pointing out that resources diverted to the border could weaken efforts to counter China, Russia, and terrorism. They also highlight that illegal border crossings have dramatically declined following a previous executive action by former President Joe Biden that tightened asylum regulations. Homeland Security officials report that daily crossings have fallen to just a few hundred people.

Questionable Use of Military Resources

Military officials responsible for executing Trump’s border strategy suggest that valuable defense assets are being wasted on efforts that either already had law enforcement solutions or were unnecessary. Several high-profile initiatives have already been scaled back due to their excessive costs or lack of necessity.

“They’re not even building a plan. It’s almost like they’re just saying, ‘Here’s more toys. Go do something,’” a defense official noted.

As of March 1, around 9,000 active-duty troops were stationed at the border. According to U.S. Northern Command, these troops primarily focus on constructing barricades, installing concertina wire, and “just standing around.”

Adding to costs, the U.S. military recently deployed two warships to patrol near the border and increased surveillance flights over the region. Additionally, officials are considering designating sections of the border as a military installation, allowing Northern Command to take direct control of the area. Under this proposal, migrants who cross into this zone could be held for trespassing onto military property until the Department of Homeland Security could deport them, a move that raises legal concerns regarding the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from conducting domestic law enforcement.

Inefficiencies and Wasteful Spending

Several early efforts have faltered. Military deportation flights, for example, have slowed to just one flight per week, often carrying only a handful of migrants because the Department of Homeland Security has not needed the military’s large, costly C-17 aircraft for transport.

Similarly, plans to use the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay to detain up to 30,000 migrants have not materialized. Instead, the facility remains mostly empty, and many of the 900 troops deployed there last month may soon return home.

A defense official summed up the situation: “The deployments to the border are clearly more about optics.”