The White House is considering a plan to deploy the National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border.
WASHINGTON - The government of President Donald Trump plans to deploy up to 4,000 National Guard troops to an area bordering Mexico. The deployment of thousands of these troops to help prevent drug smugglers and illegal immigrants from entering the US until the border walls are built.
The White House said the plan was being considered. "The president considers it a good first step to have 2,000 to 4,000 (troops) and if we decide to need more, we will make a decision at the time," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters, as quoted by Reuters on Saturday ( 7/4/2018).
The Trump government plan for the deployment of the National Guard forces requires cooperation with local state authorities bordering the Mexican territory, including California authorities.
The governors of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona supported the US federal government's plan. However, officials at Golden State are still silent whether they will do the same or not.
"This request - as we received from the Department of Homeland Security, including for additional staff in 2006 and 2010 - will soon be reviewed to determine how best we can to help our federal partners," said California National Guard spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tom Keegan in a statement issued on behalf of Governor Jerry Brown's government.
"We hope to be more detailed on the funding and the duration of the deployment (troops)," he continued.
Trump told reporters on an Air Force One plane last Thursday that his administration was considering the cost of deploying troops on the US-Mexican border.
"We will probably keep them or most of them until the frontier wall is built," said Trump.