Navy destroyer deployed to support US-Mexico border mission

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. - A U.S. Navy destroyer has been deployed to help with the Trump administration’s effort to stop illegal immigration and smuggling at the southern border. 

The Arleigh Burke-class warshi, which is armed with a long-range Tomahawk, will help "restore territorial integrity at the U.S. southern border," Navy officials said in a statement. 

Here’s what to know:

What we know:

Officials said the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely was deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s executive orders to protect the U.S.-Mexico border and will enhance "maritime efforts" and support "interagency collaboration."  

What we don't know:

A statement, shared on March 15, said the combatant command will fill "critical capabilities gaps in support" of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. However, it did not provide any further details on such gaps in support.  

Dig deeper:

USS Gravely will operate within the Northern Command area of responsibility, which includes the Gulf, the Straits of Florida, and much of the Caribbean region – including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Northern Command also covers the West Coast of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in the Pacific. 

What they're saying:

"USS Gravely’s deployment will contribute to the U.S. Northern Command southern border mission as part of the DOD’s coordinated effort in response to the Presidential Executive Order," said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, U.S. Northern Command, in a statement. "Gravely’s sea-going capacity improves our ability to protect the United States’ territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security."

The backstory:

USS Gravely previously spent nine months in the Red Sea and shot down Houthi missiles, including a cruise missile that reached within a mile of the destroyer. Her crew also hit back with missile strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, according to The Maritime Executive – which added that the operation has been described as the U.S. Navy's "most intense mutual exchange of fire with an enemy force" since World War II.

What's next:

Now deployed to support operations at the Southern border, USS Gravely will provide extra support for Coast Guard law enforcement interdiction teams – one of which will be onboard. These teams carry out a variety of maritime interdiction missions, including "counter-piracy, military combat operations, alien migration interdiction, military force protection, counter-terrorism, homeland security, and humanitarian response," according to the Navy’s statement.