Carper Statement on President Trump’s Plan to Deploy National Guard Troops to U.S. Southern Border

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, responded to President Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S. southern border with Mexico:

“At a time when apprehensions of migrants on our southern border are at a near 50-year low, deploying National Guard troops to the border is far from a logical effort to address our country’s immigration issues. Taking our National Guard troops, that are already stretched thin, from their important work supporting their communities – like recovering from historic floods in Houston – to patrol our borders is absolutely the wrong move. Instead, we should be listening to our Border Protection agents on the ground, who for years have called for more trained Customs agents at our ports of entry and better technologies, like drones and dirigibles, to make their operations more efficient and effective.

“Six weeks ago, Congress considered a number of bipartisan approaches that would have improved border security and worked to address the root causes of migration from Central America. Democratic leaders in the Senate even agreed to provide generous funding for President Trump’s misguided ‘border wall’ in exchange for greater border security and protections for Dreamers. Unfortunately, the president couldn’t take yes for an answer, and instead issued a statement rejecting this bipartisan compromise. It is imperative that this administration sit down with leaders in Congress on both sides of the aisle who want real solutions to our immigration challenges, rather than using political ploys to fire up President Trump’s base and distract from growing controversy.”

###