Washington (CNN) When the Trump administration first asked the Pentagon to send troops to the southern border, the administration wanted the troops to take on duties that Department of Defense officials viewed as law enforcement functions, CNN has learned. Despite multiple defense officials characterizing those activities as relating to law enforcement actions, a DHS official disagreed that such functions constituted law enforcement. "While DHS has discussed the need for potential assistance with force protection of CBP personnel, calling this line of support 'law enforcement activities' would be factually inaccurate," the DHS official said. It's not clear if Mattis weighed in on the decision to reject the request for troops to perform law enforcement functions. CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to make clear that the Department of Defense officials viewed the request as a law enforcement role.

Source: CNN November 02, 2018 21:10 UTC