News out of the White House [1] Wednesday afternoon:
President Trump will sign a proclamation Wednesday sending National Guard troops to the southern border to ramp up security efforts, the administration announced Wednesday, after days of warnings from the president about the dangers of illegal immigration.
The National Guard will be sent to assist Border Patrol agents until legislation is passed to close “loopholes” that the Trump administration says allow certain undocumented immigrants to stay in the country and the “catch-and-release” policy is ended, according to a person familiar with the expected White House proposal. Catch and release is a practice of releasing undocumented immigrants from custody while they await their hearings.
The troops will be in a support role, doing tasks such as road development and intelligence gathering, according to the person familiar with the plan who would only discuss the unreleased details on the condition of anonymity.
…
Previous presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, have deployed National Guard personnel to provide backup to Border Patrol agents amid concerns about security and drug trafficking. In recent years, however, the number of people crossing illegally into the country has plummeted and is at its lowest level since 1971.
It is an immediate deployment and, apparently, some troops are expected to arrive this evening.
Also from Bearing Drift: Is Donald Trump Pro-Military? No, Not Really [2].