WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday the White House has given him explicit authority to use military troops to protect Customs and Border Protection personnel, with lethal force if necessary, at the southwest border.

This could, under certain circumstances, mean directing troops to temporarily detain migrants in the event of disorder or violence against border patrol agents. "This is minutes -- not even hours" of potential detention, Mattis said, suggesting that he was not planning to use the military to operate migrant detention camps.

"We'll keep you posted on an...