California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided to remove hundreds of National Guard troops from the border. The National Guard has until the end of March to finish the removal.
Newsom just gave President Donald Trump an excuse to invoke the National Emergencies Act. From Fox News:
Newsom’s plan will require the National Guard to immediately begin withdrawing troops but still give it until the end of March to do so. According to excerpts from his Tuesday State of the State address, he will call the “border emergency” a “manufactured crisis,” and will say that “California will not be part of this political theater.”Newsom’s order will require around 110 National Guard troops to help the state prepare for its next wildfire season while another 100 members will be deployed to focus specifically on combating transnational crime, according to excerpts from his speech. A spokesman for Newsom said his office will separately request federal funds for the expansion of the state’s counterdrug task force program, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Over 2,000 National Guard troops are on the border along with 2,300 active-duty troops. Trump wants to send 3,750 more troops to the border “to help install wire barriers and monitor border crossings.” From The Sacramento Bee:
In his State of the Union speech earlier this month, Trump blamed illegal immigration for straining the country’s economy and resources. Trump also said it has increased crime, despite evidence that immigrants commit crime at lower rates than native-born Americans.The Pentagon last week announced that it would send 3,750 troops to the border in coming months, where they are expected to install 150 miles of concertina wire and aid Customs and Border Protection, according to the Pentagon.“The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well being of all Americans,” Trump said. “We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.”
The decision comes days ahead of another possible government shutdown over border wall funding. Trump has threatened numerous times he will declare a national emergency if he doesn’t receive the money to build a wall.
It also comes a week after New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham chose to remove the majority of the state’s troops from the border. Like Newson, she doesn’t believe Trump’s declaration that there is a national security crisis at the border.
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