The Navy plans to send a second warship to patrol the waters off the U.S. by the end of this week after a destroyer was deployed on Saturday as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and the border, a U.S. official confirmed to Military.com on Wednesday.
The official, who was given anonymity to discuss military plans, told Military.com that a second destroyer will deploy from the West Coast, joining the USS Gravely, which left a naval base in Virginia over the weekend headed for the waters around the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Northern Command announced Saturday that the Gravely deployed with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment aboard, allowing the vessel to conduct missions such as ship interdictions and drug seizures. The Trump administration has already deployed thousands of troops to the southern border and designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations amid promises to curb border crossings.