Politics
Associated Press/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Baltic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 3, 2018, in Washington.
- The Trump administration is authorizing the deployment of National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Wednesday.
- Trump raged for several days about a "caravan" of Central American migrants en route through Mexico to the US border.
- Previous presidents have also deployed the National Guard, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
President Donald Trump will sign a proclamation to immediately deploy the National Guard along the US-Mexico border, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, time and time again, Congress has failed to act," Nielsen said, referring to lawmakers' refusal to provide Trump's requested funding for his long-promised border wall and adjust certain immigration laws.
"We're taking whatever actions we can as an executive branch," she added.
The move came just one day after Trump abruptly announced he would dispatch US troops to the border, following several days of rage over a "caravan" of Central American migrants en route to the US border through Mexico. Many planned to seek asylum upon reaching the US.
"I spoke with Gen. Mattis, we're going to do some things militarily, until we can have a wall and proper security - we're going to be guarding our border with the military," Trump said Tuesday. "That's a big step."
Previous administrations have also deployed the National Guard. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both used National Guard troops in 2006 and again in 2012 to either patrol the border or assist in operations.
Nielsen said she couldn't specify how many troops would be needed for the upcoming deployment, or what the ultimate cost would be.
"It will be strong," she said. "It will be as many as is needed to fill the gaps."