President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE said Thursday that more U.S. troops are being deployed to the southern border, but argued that a border wall would be more effective in countering what he described as an "attempted Invasion of Illegals."

"More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built!" Trump wrote in a tweet.

More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019

The president's tweet comes after Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Patrick Michael ShanahanHouse Armed Services chairman expresses confidence in Esper amid aircraft carrier coronavirus crisis Boeing pleads for bailout under weight of coronavirus, 737 fallout Esper's chief of staff to depart at end of January MORE announced earlier this week that a "few thousand" more troops would be deployed to the border. Shanahan didn't specify exactly how many troops would be sent.

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There are already more than 2,000 active-duty troops at the U.S.-Mexico border. Those troops were deployed shortly before November's midterm elections to counter what Trump claimed was a national security risk presented by Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

The number of active-duty troops at the border peaked at about 5,900 last year. The mission was originally slated to end in December but has since been twice extended, first to Jan. 31 and then to Sept. 30.

Democrats, who see the active-duty deployment as unnecessary, pressed Pentagon officials earlier this week over why troops were originally deployed and why they remain at the border.

“While border security is always a challenge, there’s really not much evidence that right at the moment it is a crisis that would call for the — if not unprecedented, then highly unusual — step of sending active-duty troops to the border,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith David (Adam) Adam SmithWhen 'Buy American' and common sense collide Overnight Defense: Marine Corps brushes off criticism of Marines' appearance in GOP convention video | US troops injured in collision with Russian vehicle in Syria | Dems ask for probe of Vindman retaliation allegations Democrats press Pentagon watchdog to probe allegations of retaliation against Vindman brothers MORE (D-Wash.) said during a hearing on Tuesday.

Trump demanded more than $5 billion in funding to construct a border wall as part of a deal to reopen the government earlier this month. He ultimately agreed to fully reopen the government for three weeks without funding for the wall as part of a deal for a bipartisan group of lawmakers to negotiate increased border security.