National Guard Announces Response to Declared Emergency at US–Mexico Border
The action follows the Trump administration’s intensification of immigration enforcement initiatives.
The U.S. National Guard is mobilizing additional troops to the U.S.–Mexico border as the Trump administration amplifies its border and immigration enforcement measures.
Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus, the head of the National Guard Bureau, indicated that approximately 1,600 National Guard members are currently stationed at the border, while the bureau is working on “developing additional support options to meet USNORTHCOM, USTRANSCOM, and Department of Homeland Security force requirements.”
According to the statement, more than 4,100 Texas National Guard troops will also be deployed at the southern border, a mission that has been ongoing for years under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” initiative.
Simultaneously, the Department of Defense will “provide airlift support for flights operated by DHS [the Department of Homeland Security] to facilitate the deportation of over 5,000 individuals detained by CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] in the border sectors of San Diego and El Paso, Texas,” as stated.
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As part of this initiative, two C-130 Hercules planes, two C-17 Globemaster aircraft, and UH-72 Lakota military helicopters will be deployed, according to the Pentagon.
Since taking office, Trump has enacted several orders concerning the border and immigration policies, labeling it as an “invasion across the southern border of the United States,” a designation that triggers specific executive branch powers. His directive mandates that his Cabinet “shall take appropriate action to repel, repatriate or remove any alien engaged in the invasion,” as noted in the White House’s statements. He also separately asserted that a national emergency exists at the border, which necessitates an appropriate response.
These orders also enable U.S. military personnel to function as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of Trump’s pledged mass deportation scheme, encompassing the Ready Reserve and National Guard, military facilities that could be utilized for detention, transportation vehicles, and “other logistical services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations.”
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 has historically restricted the use of military troops in domestic law enforcement roles. Trump’s directives frame the surge of illegal immigration as a national security concern, which he argues validates his military orders as the U.S. commander in chief.
He further ordered the construction of a barrier along the U.S.–Mexico border, fulfilling a campaign promise first made in 2016, and categorized international drug cartels as foreign terrorist entities under federal law. This designation activates the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to confront cartel activities, as per the provided text.
Additional measures include prohibiting “catch-and-release” protocols that permitted certain illegal entrants to remain in the United States while awaiting their court dates, among various other directives.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
