DHS asks for 20,000 National Guard troops to assist in deportations

The Department of Homeland Security is asking the Pentagon to provide some 20,000 National Guard forces to assist in the removal of migrants in the United States without legal status.

A U.S. official with knowledge of the plan who was not authorized to talk tells NPR that military lawyers are reviewing the request from DHS. The request was first reported by The New York Times.

Under the proposal, state governors would be asked for volunteers among their Guard forces to take part in the removals. There’s no word on when this would happen, or when the call would go out for volunteers.

There’s also no sense at this point what role the Guard troops would play — whether they would provide just transportation or security, or if they would detain migrants or take part in arrests. In February, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave Texas Guard members the authority to make immigration arrests. This would be the first time Guard troops at the national level have been asked to assist in deportations. President Trump last week ordered DHS to increase its deportation force by 20,000 officers. Using Guard forces would be the quickest way to make that happen.

There’s no indication that Trump would act to federalize the National Guard, a move that would effectively take control of the Guard troops from governors. The National Guard was last federalized in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots following the police beating of Rodney King.

The Trump administration has made greater use of active duty troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to enhance security and combat illegal immigration. There are now more than 10,000 troops along the border, a sharp increase from the estimated 2,500 who took part in that role during the Biden administration. The Pentagon also recently expanded its control of land along the border, taking over a 60-foot wide strip known as the Roosevelt Reservation. Military officials say the troops there have the power to “temporarily detain trespassers” until local law enforcement can assume custody.