Trump Gets Tough on Border Security, Sends National Guard Troops to Mexico Border

Long before he became president, Trump enthralled his avid supporters with fantastically-worded speeches. More than a year after assumption of office, President Trump is a man on a mission. He aspires to fulfill his pledges on improved border security.

Wednesday’s communication from Trump’s administration sought to provide clarity on measures the state was taking on the matter. While Trump’s hallmark at the end of his term will be gauged by his overall success, the optics are important.

Going by previous rhetoric from the president, getting this right will be a lasting legacy of his. In recent times, Congress has been under pressure to implement tough rules to curb illegal immigration.

Involvement

Fun statistic of the day: the number of people illegally crossing into the country has sharply plummeted to their lowest ever figures since 1971

In truth, more than just the lawmakers at Congress are necessary to see through the implementation of such novel ideas. To ensure success, the Trump administration will need to touch base with border state governors. These governors are in charge of National Guard operations in the states they run.

Given the scope of their responsibilities, governors can be an asset to the administration. This is because they can greatly chip in in terms of deployment plans. However, this dependence is expected to hit a hitch in states like California that have publicly bickered with the president’s stand on some issues. None of them stood out as much as Trump’s stance on the environment and immigration.

In Wednesday’s address, the Trump administration revealed information about the number of troops that will be deployed on border patrol, the length of their deployment and tasks assigned to the troops. However, much more information is set to be disseminated in the days to come. This is because deliberations are still ongoing with various states.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen expressed support for the pact between governors and the state. He further added that the size of deployed troops would be as large as necessary in order to combat any shortcomings.

Going Forward

California Sued the Federal Government for adding a citizenship question in the census

By Wednesday, the state of California had not given their stand about how they would react to the news. However, the representative for the state’s National Guard issued a statement alluding to the speedy nature they would issue their stand. He expressed belief that they will assess how best the state can assist their federal partners.

At present, the California National Guard already has 55 personnel providing support at the border. Their engagements are for an anti-drug operation around the border.

On the other hand, Texas expressed support for the Trump administration’s swift action to protect the border from illegals. As a state, Texas already has a healthy contingent of National Guard personnel manning the border.

Republican Governor Greg Abbot issued a statement about how Texas will lias with the federal government. All this will be in a bid to stem the influx of illegal migrants finding their way into the country. Securing the southern border will ensure that this threat is minimized and rule of law runs supreme.

Optics

As per Trump’s twitter feed, he was very much optimistic about the prospect of deploying troops at the border points. He compared our situation to Mexico and Canada that have very strong laws against illegal immigration

While Trump’s actions are a show of determination, they are not a first. Previous regimes under the stewardship of then presidents, Barack Obama and George W. Bush have made utility of the resourcefulness of the National Guard personnel. They were deployed as backups to the Border Patrol agents to assist on matters security and drug trafficking.

One of the people well versed in the politics of the matter is one Theresa Cardinal Brown. She served as a former adviser for Customs and Border protection during George W. Bush’s tenure. She has openly spoken about the negotiating power governors’ yield when it comes to the specifics. These are things like deployment details, length of troops stay and the roles the troops are going to assume.

Thus, for California Governor Jerry Brown to object to the federal government’s need for National Guard troops. Given the fact that the state previously sued the federal government, they have a good reason to overlook such requests.