A top White House official on Sunday defended President Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I think the guard’s always been something that we’ve considered,” White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week.” “We’ve got a leaking boat on our border and we’re all quibbling with how much water’s in the boat and how fast we’re bailing it out. I think at this point the president’s been pretty clear. Enough is enough, fix the actual problem and stop that leak.”
Bossert noted recent data that shows March had the highest one-month total of illegal border crossings since Trump took office, which was also a 200 percent increase over the same period in 2017.
“The seasonal uptick normally begins next month and what we’re doing is taking [measures] now, at the appropriate time, instead of waiting, as others have in the past, for that uptick to get in front of us,” he explained.
The National Guard cannot legally arrest someone attempting to illegally cross the Southwester border, but Bossert said they will be “augment[ed]” with Customs and Border Protection officers.
However, he declined to give exact numbers on the cost of the deployment, and even suggested National Guard troops will be there “short term” and then possibly be hired by CBP.
“The costs will depend on our time phase deployment and how long we stay there,” Bossert said. “Maybe this is a good opportunity to explain how it works. The purpose of using the National Guard isn’t just to augment the Customs and Border Protections capabilities. It’ll be short term and I think the message there is CBP is hiring. We need more people and they’re looking to onboard them and train them now.”
On Wednesday, Trump said aboard Air Force One anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard troops could be sent to the Southwestern border. He also signed a proclamation that day announcing the decision formally.
Texas announced Friday that it will be sending the its first 250 troops within 72 hours, and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he will send roughly 150 troops this week.
“We are sealing up our Southern Border. The people of our great country want Safety and Security. The Dems have been a disaster on this very important issue” Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon.
