Pete Hegseth Awards Revived Border Defense Medal to 50 Troops

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has awarded 50 U.S. service members medals in recognition of their work in securing the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The medals, called the Mexican Border Defense Medal, were awarded in a ceremony on Monday to 14 Marine Corps personnel, 36 soldiers and one sailor who had all worked to stop drug traffickers and illegal immigration during President Donald Trump’s second administration.

Border Security

Securing the border has been a key priority under the second Trump administration. As of July 2025, U.S. troop deployments at the border tripled to 7,600 and include every branch of the military. The military patrols work with Customs and Border Protection and the Mexican military.

This has caused border crossings to plummet. Since the end of 2024, border crossings have decreased from over 144,000 encounters in December 2024 to 10,000 in April 2026, according to figures cited by Fox.

But cartel activity at the border increased in February after Mexican forces killed El Mencho, the notorious Mexican cartel leader.

Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve said that more than 9,000 soldiers have carried out 99,245 detections and monitoring operations at the border, while Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith said Marines have conducted over 18,000 patrols and processed nearly 10,000 individual detections.

‘Dynamic’ and ‘Aggressive’

“Every single soldier, Marine, and one sailor seated here represents thousands of others who have done this mission on our Southwest border and are doing it right now,” Hegseth said of the awardees.

“You have been dynamic, you have been creative, you have been aggressive, you have used the authorities you’ve been given [and] you work with your law enforcement partners,” he added.

Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller praised service members for saving people’s lives from illegally imported drugs.

“Can anybody else ask to have a more noble cause in their life than to get to wake up in the morning and know that thousands of people that you will never meet or interact with are alive today, are with their families today, are going to be at Christmas in December, and are going to be able to enjoy their kids’ graduation or wedding and every other life milestone, because of the service and sacrifice that you made?” he said.

The Mexican Border Defense Medal was made in 2025 and is a replica of the Mexican Border Service Medal, which was first issued in 1918.

“It’s a restoration, it’s a reestablishment,” Hegseth said about the medal. “We actually revived the exact same medal from 1918 to be given to all of you today as a reflection that this service is an extension; we stand on the shoulders of other great Americans who defended this nation.”