President Trump activates the National Guard to protect border amid an anticipated surge in illegal border crossings.
Politico reports:
“President Donald Trump has directed officials to deploy the National Guard to the southern U.S. border as part of a push to curb illegal immigration, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday. Nielsen told reporters during the White House press briefing that Trump “will be signing a proclamation to that effect today. The president has directed that the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to work together with our governors to deploy our National Guard to our southwest border to assist the border patrol,” Nielsen said.
The announcement came a day after Trump said he intends to deploy military personnel to the U.S.-Mexico border until his administration is able to deliver on his campaign promise to build a wall to bolster security. The president did not elaborate on the timing for the decision. Nielsen also did not have details on how many National Guard troops will be deployed.
“We are going to be guarding our border with our military. That’s a big step,” Trump said Tuesday during a session at the White House with Baltic leaders. “We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing and, by the way, never showing up for court.”
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