Soldiers are arriving at the border — but hardly any migrants are crossing

There are signs all over town that the troops have arrived.

The two hotels closest to the U.S. Border Patrol headquarters are sold out. A local gym and a barbershop are advertising discounts for men and women in uniform. And every Thursday, diners can use their military IDs to save on food and drinks at Molcajetes Mexican restaurant.

Several hundred active-duty soldiers arrived in the Texas city of Del Rio in late January after President Donald Trump declared an invasion and ordered troops to deploy to the southern border. The Defense Department says 3,600 servicemen and servicewomen, mostly from the U.S. Army and Marines, have been sent to help patrol the nation’s land border with Mexico.