The Mexican government has deployed around 15,000 troops to its northern border, seeking to crack down on the number of illegal migrants spilling into the US, AFP reports.

The news comes as Mexican officials vowed to send 6,000 National Guard troops in response to President Trump’s call for the country to help stem the flow of mostly Central American illegals inundating the US’ southern border.

“We have a total deployment, between the National Guard and army units, of 14,000, almost 15,000 men in the north of the country,” said Mexican Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval at a press conference.

Sandoval confirmed National Guard troops would be detaining migrants to keep them from entering the US.

“Given that (undocumented) migration is not a crime but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and turn them over to the authorities,” Sandoval added.

The move comes as President Trump has stepped up pressure on Mexico to stop migrants before they reach the US, pledging to impose tariffs on Mexican imports if nothing was done.

Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reached a deal earlier this month, which the US president said Thursday appears to be working.

“The flow has very substantially slowed down,” Trump said during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “It’s already had a big impact.”

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