Oregon Governor Kate Brown said Thursday that she had no plans to honor any request from President Donald Trump to deploy her state's National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo: Oregon National Guard/Flickr/cc)
'I'll Say No': Oregon Governor Will Reject Any Request from Trump to Deploy National Guard to Border
"I have no intention of allowing Oregon's guard troops to be used to distract from his troubles in Washington."
Should President Donald Trump follow through on his plan to deploy the National Guard to the southern border to deter migration from Mexico and Central America, he won't be able to count on Oregon's 5,800 soldiers.
Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.) said shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the president's decision on Wednesday that she would not send her state's National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, and called the plan an effort to "distract" from Trump's ongoing legal troubles and the chaotic nature of his administration.
Nielsen's announcement came after Trump denounced reports of "caravans" of migrants--many fleeing violence--headed toward the U.S. and insisted the military must be deployed to guard the border until a wall is built--a proposal critics called "beyond disturbing."
The National Guard is made up of citizens who generally hold civilian jobs as well and report for duty when needed to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, and are sometimes deployed on military operations overseas.
Brown is just one of many critics who have voiced serious concerns about militarizing border communities by placing the National Guard for an undetermined amount of time--with military officials saying the move would be construed as needlessly aggressive by U.S. allies to the south and others saying the deployment would amount to an immense waste of resources.
"We've got the Pacific on one side, the Atlantic on the other and allies to the north and the south. Mexico is not an adversary. Why would you present this offensive barrier to a friendly country?" - Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton https://t.co/WlOdkcvcSn
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 5, 2018
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Should President Donald Trump follow through on his plan to deploy the National Guard to the southern border to deter migration from Mexico and Central America, he won't be able to count on Oregon's 5,800 soldiers.
Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.) said shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the president's decision on Wednesday that she would not send her state's National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, and called the plan an effort to "distract" from Trump's ongoing legal troubles and the chaotic nature of his administration.
Nielsen's announcement came after Trump denounced reports of "caravans" of migrants--many fleeing violence--headed toward the U.S. and insisted the military must be deployed to guard the border until a wall is built--a proposal critics called "beyond disturbing."
The National Guard is made up of citizens who generally hold civilian jobs as well and report for duty when needed to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, and are sometimes deployed on military operations overseas.
Brown is just one of many critics who have voiced serious concerns about militarizing border communities by placing the National Guard for an undetermined amount of time--with military officials saying the move would be construed as needlessly aggressive by U.S. allies to the south and others saying the deployment would amount to an immense waste of resources.
"We've got the Pacific on one side, the Atlantic on the other and allies to the north and the south. Mexico is not an adversary. Why would you present this offensive barrier to a friendly country?" - Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton https://t.co/WlOdkcvcSn
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 5, 2018
Should President Donald Trump follow through on his plan to deploy the National Guard to the southern border to deter migration from Mexico and Central America, he won't be able to count on Oregon's 5,800 soldiers.
Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.) said shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the president's decision on Wednesday that she would not send her state's National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, and called the plan an effort to "distract" from Trump's ongoing legal troubles and the chaotic nature of his administration.
Nielsen's announcement came after Trump denounced reports of "caravans" of migrants--many fleeing violence--headed toward the U.S. and insisted the military must be deployed to guard the border until a wall is built--a proposal critics called "beyond disturbing."
The National Guard is made up of citizens who generally hold civilian jobs as well and report for duty when needed to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, and are sometimes deployed on military operations overseas.
Brown is just one of many critics who have voiced serious concerns about militarizing border communities by placing the National Guard for an undetermined amount of time--with military officials saying the move would be construed as needlessly aggressive by U.S. allies to the south and others saying the deployment would amount to an immense waste of resources.
"We've got the Pacific on one side, the Atlantic on the other and allies to the north and the south. Mexico is not an adversary. Why would you present this offensive barrier to a friendly country?" - Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton https://t.co/WlOdkcvcSn
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 5, 2018