Trump signs proclamation sending National Guard to border

FAN Editor

President Trump has signed a proclamation directing the National Guard to be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, the White House announced Wednesday night.

Mr. Trump said in a Wednesday memorandum to his secretaries of defense and homeland security and to his attorney general that the “situation at the border has now reached a point of crisis.” The document orders the Secretary of Defense to support the Department of Homeland Security in securing the southern border to stop the flow of drugs and people.

And it orders the agency heads to submit a report within 30 days outlining what other steps can be taken.

Mr. Trump says that “lawlessness” at the southern border is “fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people.” And he says his administration “has no choice but to act.”

Mr. Trump has been frustrated by slow action on building his “big, beautiful wall” along the Mexican border — the signature promise of his campaign — as well as a recent uptick in illegal border crossings that had plunged during the early months of his presidency. He has also bothered that the spending bill he grudgingly signed last month includes far less money for the wall than he’d hoped for.

Federal law prohibits the use of active-duty service members for law enforcement inside the U.S., unless specifically authorized by Congress. But over the last 12 years, presidents have twice sent National Guard troops to the border to bolster security and assist with surveillance and other support.

© 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Trump sends National Guard to Mexican border

Last Updated Apr 5, 2018 1:55 AM EDT President Trump has signed a proclamation directing the National Guard to be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, the White House announced Wednesday night. Mr. Trump said in a Wednesday memorandum to his secretaries of defense and homeland security and to his attorney […]