US Defense Secretary James Mattis agreed to a request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to keep troops on the US border with Mexico through the end of January, extending by 45 days the mission that was set to expire on December 15. Some 5,600 troops were deployed to the border in early November as migrant caravans from Central America made their way through Mexico. It remains unclear if the number of deployed troops will decrease. While some US media outlets have speculated the engineering part of the deployment was completed, the mission still involves “limited aviation, engineering, medical, and military police capabilities,” Reuters reported citing anonymous officials.