Texas, Arizona deploying National Guard members to Mexican border

CLOSE

President Donald Trump will be signing a proclamation directing the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to work together with governors to deploy the National Guard to the southwest border with Mexico. (April 4)
AP

Texas and Arizona announced plans Friday that both states were deploying troops to the Mexican border, just days after President Trump’s order aiming to stop illegal crossings and drug trafficking.

About 150 National Guard members are scheduled to be sent to the Southwest border next week, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced on Twitter. 

“Our office is working closely with @AZNationalGuard, @DeptofDefense and @DHSgov on plans to deploy approximately 150 national guard members to the border next week,” he said in the post. 

The Texas Military Department, which oversees the state’s National Guard branches, also announced on Twitter it was also preparing to deploy National Guard members to the southwest border, including a photo of troops boarding a helicopter. 

â–º April 5: Donald Trump wants 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard on Mexican border
â–º April 4: President Trump orders National Guard to the Mexican border

No additional information was immediately available about Texas’ plans, but a news conference is scheduled Friday evening. 

Where money to pay for these ventures is coming from has been unclear. Neither Arizona nor Texas immediately provided any information about the costs. 

On Wednesday, Trump formally ordered the Pentagon and Homeland Security to deploy members of the National Guard to the Southwest border.

“The situation at the border has now reached a point of crisis,” the president’s memo said. “The lawlessness that continues at our Southern border is fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people. My administration has no choice but to act.”

The following day, he gave more details of the plan aboard Air Force One: 2,000 to 4,000 troops would be deployed and they might be sent there for an indefinite period. 

Some border states, including Texas and Arizona, immediately came out in support of the effort. Others, such as California, have stayed mum. 

The renewed emphasis on border security came just weeks after Trump signed a spending bill that did not include money for his border wall. 

The number of people caught trying to illegally cross the Southwest border in fiscal year 2017 was 303,916, the lowest since 1971. Those numbers continued to fall in the first six months of fiscal year 2018, which began Oct. 1, according to statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Some lawmakers criticized Trump’s idea of sending troops to the border, saying it would be a waste of military resources and a political gesture at best.

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., called it “the latest chapter in his reign of terror meant to wreak havoc on immigrants and residents of border communities. After his failure to secure funding for his ‘big beautiful wall,’ he is clearly grasping for straws.”

Contributing: David Jackson, USA TODAY. Follow Christal Hayes on Twitter: @Journo_Christal

 

 

Article source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~/537571458/0/usatodaycomwashington-topstories~Texas-Arizona-deploying-National-Guard-members-to-Mexican-border/