National Guard members are mobilizing in 19 states amid the Trump administration's ongoing crime and immigration crackdowns. (Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters)
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.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASSIGNS MILITARY ATTORNEYS TO PROSECUTE DC CRIMES AMID FEDERAL CRACKDOWN
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.
At the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Guard members deployed to posts in Washington, DC, can now carry weapons if needed for individual tasks. (Getty Images)
"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.
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"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.
Jacqui Heinrich currently serves as a Senior White House correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network in September 2018 and is based out of Washington D.C.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/national-guard-mobilizing-19-states-immigration-crime-crackdown