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The Department of Homeland Security has requested this week that the Pentagon deploy more than 20,000 National Guard troops to support President Donald Trump’s initiative to increase deportations of illegal immigrants and strengthen border enforcement, according to a new report.
Pentagon attorneys are currently reviewing the request, which pertains to “interior immigration enforcement,” The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing a Defense Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of internal discussions.
“DHS requested 20,000 National Guard members to help carry out the President’s mandate from the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsmax.
“The Department of Homeland Security will use every tool and resource available to get criminal illegal aliens including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and other violent criminals out of our country. The safety of American citizens comes first,” she added.
It remains unclear what specific responsibilities the National Guard would assume and whether implementation would require approval from individual state governors.
The president recently issued a proclamation instructing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to expand deportation operations by contracting with state and local police, former federal agents, and personnel from other federal entities. The order calls for a minimum of 20,000 additional officers to identify and remove illegal immigrants who have not voluntarily departed.
To further advance the initiative, the administration is reportedly bringing in reinforcements from across the federal government. The Times noted that the Department of Justice is preparing to allocate around 2,000 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist with immigration enforcement operations.
Trump said during a Sunday interview earlier this month that he will not lift his emergency order on the southern border. The president shared the comments during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“We have an emergency. We have a massive emergency overall. It’s an overall emergency on immigration. And the — if the courts don’t allow us to take people out, if we had to have a court case every single — think of it,” he said.
“Every single person, we have millions of people. If you have millions of court cases, figure two weeks a court case, it would be 300 years,” the president added.
