President Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday for the deployment of National Guard troops along the Southern border with Mexico in a bid to cut down on illegal immigration.
Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said earlier in the day that Trump's order would direct her department and the Pentagon to work with governors of the states along the Southwestern border.
Speaking at the White House, Nielsen said, "Our current border security and immigration laws fail the American people. The system rewards bad behavior. It does not punish lawbreakers. It undermines our nation's economic interests."
She said the National Guard troops would be deployed as quickly as possible and gave no indication of how long the mission might last. Asked how many troops would be involved, Nielsen declined to give a number, saying, "As many as is needed to fill the gaps today."
The DHS's Customs and Border Protection reported Wednesday that apprehensions of people entering the U.S. illegally at the Southern border jumped by 37 percent in March from the February level, and by 203 percent from March 2017.
Trump indicated Tuesday that he wanted the troops to secure the border.
"We're going to do some things militarily," Trump said. "Until we can have a wall and proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military."
"That's a big step," Trump continued. "We really haven't done that before, or certainly not very much before."
However, the move actually has many precedents. Every president since Ronald Reagan has called on the National Guard for limited, temporary missions along the frontier.
Donald Trump tweeted...
Our Border Laws are very weak while those of Mexico & Canada are very strong. Congress must change these Obama era, and other, laws NOW! The Democrats stand in our way - they want people to pour into our country unchecked....CRIME! We will be taking strong action today.