US Has No Plan for Troops to 'Come in Contact' with Migrant Caravan - Dunford

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US military forces do not plan to come in contact with migrants traveling in a caravan through Mexico towards the United States, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford said during remarks at Duke University.

"Back to the caravan…There is no plan for US military forces to be involved in the actual mission of denying people entry to the United States, there is no plan for soldiers to come in contact with immigrants or to reinforce the Department of Homeland Security as they are conducting their mission," Dunford said on Monday.

The Homeland Security Department and US Customs and Border Protection have the mission of dealing with the caravan when it reaches the United States, but the Department of Defense is only responsible for providing them support with logistics like reinforcing ports of entry and medical support, Dunford said.

The caravan set out from Honduras in the direction of Mexico and the United States on October 13 in the hope of obtaining asylum. According to UN estimates, the caravan includes more than 7,000 migrants. However, Mexican authorities have said that the caravan marching through its territory included around 3,600 migrants.

READ MORE: Trump Warns 15,000 Troops Could Be Sent to Southern Border to Block Caravan

US President Donald Trump is deploying 5,000 military personnel to the US-Mexico border as the migrant caravan moves toward the area, but has said he could increase the number of troops to 15,000.