The department requested the Guard members from the Pentagon āto help carry out the Presidentās mandate from the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens,ā DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Hill Thursday.
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A Defense official also told The Hill that the Pentagon āreceived a requestā this week but was not able to share the contents because planning is in the initial stages and predecisional.Ā
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The New York TimesĀ first reported on the request and was told Pentagon lawyers were reviewing it along with āinterior immigration enforcement.ā
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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.Ā
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Itās also unclear whether state governors would have to approve the plan or ifĀ President TrumpĀ 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.
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The plan was quickly bashed by Democratic lawmakers including Sen.Ā Tammy DuckworthĀ (D-Ill.), who said she was ādeeply disturbedā by Trumpās āabuse and misuseā of the U.S. military.
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āTrumpās DHS is asking for 20,000 National Guardsmen to assist with immigration enforcement within our nationās bordersāsomething theyāve never been asked to do before and that is not part of the National Guardās mission,ā she said in a statement.Ā
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āNot 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,ā Duckworth added. āNo one should believe that he will stop at immigrants if this plan moves forward.ā
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National Guard troops at the state level have previously been asked to assist in deportations ā notably in Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February gave his Guard members the authority to arrest migrants ā but this would mark the first time Guard troops at the national level have been asked to do so.
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Read the full report at TheHill.com.
