National Guard To Be Deployed To US-Mexico Border

Thomas Short Military VA Loan contributor

Posted on: April 5, 2018

On Thursday, President Trump signed a new order that will send members of the National Guard to protect the US-Mexico border.

The move comes in advance of the construction of a new border wall, scheduled to begin construction later this month.

One of the focuses of the Trump Administration has been to fight illegal immigration. Immediately after Trump was elected, the number of illegal immigrants declined. However, in recent months the numbers have started to increase and are practically on par with Obama-era numbers.

“The lawlessnesss that continues at our southern border is fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security and sovereignty of the American people,” wrote the president in a memo that coincided the signing of the order.

This move came following Trump’s announcement Tuesday that active military would be used to protect the border. The Administration later clarified that only National Guard members would be deployed.

An immediate result of this could be a higher demand for National Guard members and qualified personnel.

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Not the first time this has happened

Politicians on both sides either applauded or criticized the move to send the National Guard to protect the border. However, this is not the first time a President has called upon the National Guard for this reason.

In 2010, Barack Obama deployed 1,200 members of the National Guard to the Arizona border. The goal was to assist the Border Patrol for a one-year period in the hopes of increasing the safety of the border.

George W. Bush also sent the National Guard to the border in California, Arizona and New Mexico. From 2006-2008, roughly 6,000 members were issued with protecting the border.

President Trump’s plan is expected to be more similar to President Bush’s. National Guard members are expected to be sent to multiple states to increase security.

Numbers on how many troops will be sent is not yet clear. Estimates put it close to 1,000 troops, similar to the Obama Administration’s numbers. Also, the recent spending bill had $1.6 billion earmarked for border spending, with only a portion going to the new border wall. The majority of the spending should go toward personnel.

The moves by the Bush and Obama Administrations did both reduce the number of illegal border crossings. One should expect the Trump Administration to have a similar degree of success with their goal.

Where it goes from here

The more National Guard members that get deployed, the higher the demand for National Guard members. While there is no shortage of National Guard members, sending too many to the border could make some people uneasy.

Because nobody is yet sure how many troops will be deployed – and to what degree – it’s difficult to make any immediate judgments.

It is worth noting that some of the border states have already shown their support for Trump’s plan.

No matter the result of this plan, it’s bound to be another point of criticism for the President by his critics. However, supporters are likely to see the benefit of added protection.

This is one of those things where it’s too early to tell how it might turn out.