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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
National Security

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The Big Story

DHS wants 20,000 National Guard troops to help with immigration crackdown

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested 20,000 National Guard troops to help with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.

The department requested the Guard members from the Pentagon “to help carry out the President’s mandate from the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Hill Thursday.

A Defense official also told The Hill that the Pentagon “received a request” this week but was not able to share the contents because planning is in the initial stages and predecisional.

The New York Times first reported on the request and was told Pentagon lawyers were reviewing it along with “interior immigration enforcement.”

It is unknown what role National Guard members would take in the immigration crackdown, such as whether they would be involved in rounding up and arresting people for deportation or just transportation or security.

It’s also unclear whether state governors would have to approve the plan or if President Trump would move to federalize the National Guard to take control of its troops. The last time the U.S. government did so was in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots, sparked by the police beating of Rodney King.

The plan was quickly bashed by Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who said she was “deeply disturbed” by Trump’s “abuse and misuse” of the U.S. military.

“Trump’s DHS is asking for 20,000 National Guardsmen to assist with immigration enforcement within our nation’s borders—something they’ve never been asked to do before and that is not part of the National Guard’s mission,” she said in a statement.

“Not only does this undermine readiness and our national security, it also means Trump is testing the limits of how he can misuse our military against the American people,” Duckworth added. “No one should believe that he will stop at immigrants if this plan moves forward.”

National Guard troops at the state level have previously been asked to assist in deportations — notably in Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February gave his Guard members the authority to arrest migrants — but this would mark the first time Guard troops at the national level have been asked to do so.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

Military adds gender dysphoria screening to troops’ annual physical amid transgender ban

The Defense Department will start screening troops for gender dysphoria during their annual physicals as part of the agency-wide effort to kick transgender service members out of the U.S. military, according to a new memo published Thursday. The document, signed by the Pentagon’s acting head of personnel and readiness, orders senior officials to “immediately commence the identification of affected Service members” via …

Full Story

Murphy, Democrats take aim at Qatari jet gift with push to block Middle East arms sales

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and a group of Senate Democrats on Thursday moved to block $3.5 billion worth of arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as President Trump nears the end of his weeklong trip in the Middle East. Murphy filed a pair of joint resolutions Thursday afternoon: one aimed at blocking a $1.9 billion sale to Qatar and a second item that would block three arms deals with the UAE to the tune …

Full Story

US space chief warns China, Russia are greatest risks to space defense capabilities

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman warned Chinese and Russian technologies, especially Beijing’s ‘”kill web,” present the greatest risks to the U.S.’s space defense capabilities. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has developed what we’ve kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a ‘kill web,’ and it’s nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

President Trump wraps up with trip to the Middle East tomorrow with his last stop in the United Arab Emirates.

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

House Democrat: DHS ‘going to come after US citizens’

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) suggested Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could start deporting U.S. citizens with the expanded budget requested for fiscal 2026. During an interview with MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” Garcia was asked about the Trump administration’s request …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The Center for Strategic and International Studies will have a conversation on “Securing the Future of U.S. Quantum Leadership,” with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), at 9:30 a.m.
Atlantic Council will host a book discussion on “Putin’s Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine,” at 10:00 a.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Trump floats possible new F-55 warplane and F-22 upgrade (Reuters)
Military moves, school enrollment and spouse employment were upended by Tuberville promotions blockade (Military.com)
Trump’s vow of ‘substantial’ pay raise for troops counters budget plan (Military Times)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

5 takeaways from birthright citizenship argument at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court mulled whether judges should be allowed to extend injunctive relief to the entire country in a lively argument Thursday stemming … Read more

Tiffany Trump gives birth to first child

It’s a “sweet baby boy” for Tiffany Trump, who’s announcing the birth of her first child. “Welcome to the world our sweet … Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

China’s surveillance strategy uses Latin America as a base
Ukraine can still win, but not if Trump keeps chasing a cease-fire Russia doesn’t want
Hegseth’s pivot to China leaves the rest of the world to fend for itself