Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, said she plans to reject the Trump administration’s push to dispatch National Guard troops to the southern border if federal officials ask for her help.
“If @realDonaldTrump asks me to deploy Oregon Guard troops to the Mexico border, I’ll say no. As Commander of Oregon’s Guard, I’m deeply troubled by Trump’s plan to militarize our border,” Brown tweeted late Wednesday. “There’s been no outreach by the president or federal officials, and I have no intention of allowing Oregon’s guard troops to be used to distract from his troubles in Washington.”
There’s been no outreach by the President or federal officials, and I have no intention of allowing Oregon’s guard troops to be used to distract from his troubles in Washington.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) April 4, 2018
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced Wednesday that President Trump ordered the National Guard to secure the U.S. border with Mexico until Congress passes legislation to strengthen border security.
Nielsen did not specify when National Guard troops will be deployed, as it depends on decisions made by governors of border states, who control their respective National Guards.
The Homeland Security secretary also did not say how many troops the administration wants states to send to the border. She said it will be “as many as is needed to fill the gaps that we have today.”
The Trump administration has so far asked the governors of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to send Guard troops to the border in support of operations there. But California Gov. Jerry Brown, the only Democratic leader of those states, is already facing pressure to reject the federal government’s request.
Trump is not the only president to send troops to the border. Former President Barack Obama authorized 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2010 for Operation Phalanx, and former President George W. Bush sent more than 6,000 troops to the southern between 2006 and 2008 during Operation Jump Start.
