National Guard mobilizing in 19 states amid immigration, crime crackdown

Up to 1,700 National Guardsmen are set to mobilize in 19 states in the coming weeks to assist the Department of Homeland Security with President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and crime, Pentagon officials confirmed to FOX News.

Documents obtained by FOX News show planning for activations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming – with status effective from August through mid-November. Texas is projected to host the most significant Guard presence.

The National Guard soldiers being mobilized will effectively serve as a support pillar to a sweeping federal interagency effort, while also serving as a visible deterrent force, a U.S. Defense official said. The service members supporting ICE will be preforming case management, transportation, logistical support, and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal migrants at the facilities. "The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody," the official said.

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President Trump has indicated in recent days his administration aims to broaden the DC operation to other states, telling a group of federal agents and National Guard troops at a DC patrol center Thursday, "We're going to make it safe, and we're going to then go on to other places."

On Friday in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I think Chicago will be our next. And then we'll help with New York," Trump said.

A U.S. Defense official told FOX, "We won’t speculate on further operations, but can tell you that the department is a planning organization and continues to work and plan with other agency partners to protect federal assets and personnel."

Fewer than 2% of the authorized forces have mobilized so far, but missions coordinated under state governors are projected to expand in the coming weeks – including in Virginia, where approximately 60 soldiers and airmen will begin training August 25th to begin duty by early September, the Virginia National Guard confirmed.

"VNG personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests," a spokesperson for the Virginia National Guard tells FOX. "VNG Soldiers and Airmen will report directly to ICE leadership at their assigned duty locations but remain under the control and direction of the Virginia Governor and Adjutant General of Virginia."

The deployment of National Guard troops — a state-controlled reserve force — will allow the U.S. military to provide a more direct role in supporting federal immigration enforcement amid as the Trump administration pushes forward with mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.

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Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, use of the military for civilian law enforcement is limited – but the National Guardsmen will be mobilizing under Title 32 Section 502F authority, to which Posse Comitatus does not apply. At the request of DHS, in July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved hundreds of additional forces for DHS-ICE Interior Enforcement support, and switched existing approvals from Title 10 to Title 32 status.

"We understood ICE’s needs at that time to be more administrative in nature…as planning continued, working with our partners, it became clear more that ICE needed something different," a U.S. defense official told FOX.

Service members supporting ICE will be performing case management, transportation, clerical functions, and logistical support – which may include data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swapping, and photographing of personnel in ICE custody.

"As you can imagine and appreciate, some of those start to get close to that law enforcement line. So it's best that these people are in a Title 32 status so that we are absolutely staying within the law of what we're doing and providing the appropriate support," the official said.

Most deployments remain in the planning and coordination stage with DHS and governors, but documents show operations beginning in Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada during the first week of September.

"Under Title 32, the guardsmen are under the command and control of their governors. So, it's up to the governors when they'll bring those forces …as the governors and the states coordinate with DHS, that timeline will differ state by state," the defense official said. Vermont declined to activate its National Guardsmen, despite the authorization from the Pentagon to assist the DHS-ICE Interior Enforcement Mission.

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The news comes as almost 2,000 National Guard soldiers from Washington DC and six states have been deployed to support law enforcement in Washington DC. Under direct presidential authority, Guard members were assigned to posts at monuments, checkpoints, and traffic stops in all eight wards, with a mission focused on deterring crime and keeping a visible security presence around the city.

At the authorization of Secretary Hegseth, those National Guard members can now carry weapons if needed for their individual tasks. But DC is different under Title 32. For the states it would be up to the individual governors who act as command and control.

A U.S. Defense official said while the mobilizations in 19 states and activation of DC National Guard both fall under President Trump’s larger directive protecting territorial integrity and immigration policies, the missions are distinct and separate.

"The big question is how long do we stay? Because if we stay, we want to make sure it doesn't come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.

Officials have tied the effort in Washington DC to beautification ahead of next year's 250th Independence Day celebration. But President Trump has hinted he may request the Guard stay in DC for an extended period of time, and then take the operation to other parts of the country.

"We're not playing games. We're going to make it safe, and we're going to then go on to other places," Trump said to a crowd of National Guardsmen and federal law enforcement at a DC patrol center this week.