Pentagon Reviewing Request to Deploy 20,000 National Guard Troops for Immigration Enforcement

Strategic Insights -

Amid an escalating immigration crackdown, the US military is considering a request from Homeland Security to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to assist in enforcing immigration laws across the country. The proposal would see troops join Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in tracking fugitives, quelling riots at detention centers, and searching for unaccompanied children in remote areas. This move has raised concerns that the US military is being increasingly used for domestic policing, with long-time advocates of the military's separation from law enforcement decrying the shift.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Pentagon is reviewing a Department of Homeland Security request to deploy up to 21,000 National Guard troops for immigration enforcement, with an estimated cost of $3.6 billion for a one-year deployment.
  • The troops would aid in tracking fugitives, quelling riots at detention centers, and searching for unaccompanied children in remote areas.
  • The deployment would see the military shift from its mission of defending the nation against foreign enemies toward policing its streets.
  • Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, has condemned the move, stating it "threatens the longstanding American principle of separating law enforcement from military power."
  • In a separate deployment, 700 active-duty Marines were deployed to Los Angeles, costing $134 million, over the objection of Governor Gavin Newsom.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated the National Guard would take on a larger role in domestic security, with the US entering a new "phase" in which the National Guard would "become a critical component of how we secure that homeland."
  • Detention facilities are being planned at Fort Bliss in Texas, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and other military bases across the country.
  • The National Guard's deployment would fall under Title 32, with troops under the control of their state's governor but federally funded.

Statistics:

  • Estimated cost of deploying 20,000 National Guard troops for one year: $3.6 billion
  • Number of active-duty Marines deployed to Los Angeles: 700
  • Cost of deploying 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles: $134 million
  • Number of National Guard troops requested for investigating units, surveillance, and night operations: 3,500
  • Number of troops requested for transportation support to transport detainees and unaccompanied alien children: 10,000
  • Number of troops requested for detention support: 2,500

Sources:

  • Byline: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY WASHINGTON
  • Defense official briefed on the potential deployment
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Senator Jack Reed
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
  • Brennan Center for Justice