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President Donald Trump’s law-and-order campaign will not be confined to Democrat-led cities, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Republican states will also see federal reinforcements.
“Absolutely,” Noem said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” when asked if GOP-run areas would be receiving federal support. “Every single city is evaluated for what we need to do there to make it safer.”
She added that a broader plan is underway, but did not provide specifics. “So we’ve got operations that, again, I won’t talk about details on, but we absolutely are not looking through the viewpoint at anything we’re doing with a political lens,” she said.
“It is what can we do to make sure that we’re continuing to get up every day and to fight for the American citizen, and that they have the chance to go out there and pursue the American dream,” Noem added.
Nineteen mostly Republican-led states are slated to receive additional support from about 1,700 National Guard troops who will aid in immigration enforcement and other crime-prevention efforts. The deployments are scheduled to run through mid-November, with Texas expected to receive the largest contingent.
The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Troops will assist with logistics, transportation, clerical work and case management while also helping deter crime.
Unlike Democratic mayors and governors who have resisted federal involvement, officials in Republican states are expected to be more open to the deployments.
“There’s a lot of cities that are dealing with crime and violence right now, and so we haven’t taken anything off the table,” Noem said. “We’ve been making sure that we have the resources and the equipment to go in. We’ve been working to partner with every single agency that we can. We have hundreds and hundreds of agreements with local law enforcement, sheriffs, city administrators, and mayors across the country that want to solve problems.”
Noem urged Democratic-led cities to follow suit, pointing to Washington, D.C., where the administration has touted a sharp decline in violent crime following federal intervention.
