The Trump administration is reportedly activating more National Guard troops to process deportation paperwork.
After authorizing the use of National Guard troops to work with immigration officials, the Trump administration is assigning the Guard to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fill out the mountains of paperwork required in their apprehension and deportation duties.
Thus far, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that Guard troops will be deployed in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, according to The Intercept.
The parameters of the Guard’s use on immigration issues are being formalized now. “We’re engaged with the Department of Defense and we’re figuring out the next steps,” ICE spokesperson Tanya Roman told the outlet.
The plan is for Guard troops to assist in “alien processing” and fulfilling the administrative duties for detention and deportation in order to free up ICE officers to get back into the field. These duties are scheduled to begin this month.
The Pentagon has confirmed that the Guard troops will be deployed under an exegesis of Title 32, which leaves them answerable to state authorities, not federal.
According to The Intercept, the Trump administration has activated 20,000 federal and National Guard troops since he took office this year. Federal forces of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines have been deployed in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas.
The Pentagon announced its plans to rely on Guard troops under Title 32 to replace Marine Corps and Naval Reserve units that had been assisting ICE.
“Through active planning and collaboration with our ICE partners, the Department determined that specific operational needs may require direct interaction with individuals in ICE custody,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
ICE spokesperson Tanya Roman added, “The Department of Homeland Security is engaged with the Department of Defense and working out final details on a partnership that will enable the National Guard to supplement a wide range of immigration enforcement activity in the U.S. interior.”
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