Texas Tech University

U.S. has long sent troops to the Mexican border, but reasons vary

Tracie Mauriello

May 11, 2019

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE- Donald Trump isn’t the first president to deploy troops to the Mexican border. A century and a half ago President James K. Polk sent troops over a territorial dispute that became the Mexican-American War. And a little over 100 years ago President Woodrow Wilson deployed troops at the border and into Mexico, first to protect American business interests there, and then sending more troops when violence from the Mexican Revolution began spilling into Texas and New Mexico.

The comparison isn't just wrong; it's dangerous, said Michael Levario, a former Democratic congressional candidate and a Texas Tech University professor whose work focuses on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

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