Trump to Sign Order Sending National Guard to Mexico Border

WASHINGTON -- The nation's homeland security chief said Wednesday that she has conferred with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other border governors about plans to deploy National Guard troops to the border.But Secretary Kristjen Nielsen was unable to say how many troops President Donald Trump plans to send, or how long the mission will last. "The president is frustrated. He has been very clear that he wants to secure our border," she said at a White House briefing. "We do hope that the deployment begins immediately.... We're working with all haste" with border governors.Trump declared Tuesday that as long as Congress refuses to provide funding for a massive border wall, he intends to use military assets to block drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Nielsen said he will sign a proclamation to that effect on Wednesday. Abbott hasn't publicly responded to Trump's demand for guardsmen at the border and aides didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.Under longstanding federal law, the military is banned from civil law enforcement -- a category that includes immigration law. But they can be used to free up Border Patrol resources. Presidents George W. Bush sent 6,000 National Guard to the border for that purpose for a two-year mission that began in 2006. President Barack Obama sent 1,200 guard troops in 2010.Abbott's predecessor, Rick Perry -- now Trump's energy secretary -- prodded Obama to send at least 3,000 troops.  Continue reading...