Trump wants military at Mexico border

PRESIDENT FRUSTRATED BY SLOW ACTION ON BUILDING BORDER WALL HE PROMISED

We’re going to be doing things militarily. Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military.”

Donald Trump | US President

President Donald Trump, annoyed by the lack of progress on fulfilling the signature promise of his campaign, said he wants to use the military to secure the US- Mexico border until his “big, beautiful wall” is erected.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he’s been discussing the idea with Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.

“We’re going to be doing things militarily. Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said, calling the move a “big step”.

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly how the proposal would work or what kind of troops Trump wanted to deploy, but the White House later said Trump wanted to mobilise the National Guard.

Federal law prohibits the use of active- duty service members for law enforcement inside the US, unless specifically authorised by Congress. But over the past 12 years, presidents have twice sent National Guard troops to the border to bolster security and assist with surveillance and other support. The White House counsel’s office has been working on the idea for several weeks, according to a senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.

Pentagon budget

Trump has been frustrated by slow action on building a wall along the Mexican border. He’s previously suggested using the Pentagon’s budget to pay for the wall, arguing it is a national security priority, despite strict rules that prohibit spending that’s not authorised by Congress.

At the Pentagon, officials struggled throughout the day Tuesday to answer questions about the plan, including rudimentary details on whether it would involve National Guard members.

But the administration appeared to be considering a model similar to a 2006 operation in which President George W. Bush deployed National Guard troops to the southern border.

Under Operation Jump Start, 6,000 National Guard troops were sent to assist the border patrol with non- law enforcement duties while additional border agents were hired and trained. Over two years, about 29,000 National Guard forces participated as forces rotated in and out. The Guard members were used for surveillance, communications, administrative support, intelligence, analysis and the installation of border security infrastructure.

In addition, President Barack Obama sent about 1,200 National Guard troops to the US- Mexico border in 2010 to beef up efforts against drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry sent 1,000 Texas National Guardsmen to the Rio Grande Valley in 2014 in response to a sharp rise in Central American children crossing the border alone.