SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown agreed Wednesday to deploy 400 National Guard troops at President Donald Trump’s request, but not all will head to the U.S.-Mexico border as Trump wants and none will enforce federal immigration enforcement.
“Let’s be clear on the scope of this mission,” the Democrat Brown wrote in a letter to the Trump administration. “This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life.”
Instead, Brown said the troops would join an existing program to combat transnational drug crime, firearms smuggling and human trafficking. They would join 250 existing California National Guard troops, including 55 who are at the border.
Trump wants up to 4,000 troops sent to the border to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking and has already won commitments for about 1,600 from the Republican governors of the other states that border Mexico — Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
The California Guard members may be deployed at the border, the coast and elsewhere statewide, Brown said.
The federal government must agree to the terms before the troops would be deployed.
California deployed troops to the border under former Presidents George W. Bush in 2006 and Barack Obama in 2010.
WTF, Jerry? Why show any cooperation with Dotard’s delusions?
Enough govs like Jerry Brown and Trump will be in a room with padded walls
I can’t express just how much respect & appreciation I have for Jerry Brown…although I have to confess that some of the former came from his dating Linda Ronstadt in the late 70s.
Because the Feds still have to agree to the proposal. Basically, Jerry is saying, “You say this is about stopping terrorism and drug trafficking; so here’s some troops specifically instructed to stop terrorism and trafficking. Agreed?”
Either Donny agrees (and doesn’t further his racist aims) or declines California’s offer (showing he was not really trying to counter terrorism / drug traffic but instead specifically wants to punish brown people).
IMHO, this is exactly the right response to Trump’s delusions. Set up a choice where Donald can not get what he really wants and either has to admit that his approach was misguided or that his aims are transparently racist.
In other words, Governor Brown will be sending 400 of THESE to the border