President Trump has ordered National Guard troops to augment federal border-patrol agents on the U.S. southern border. Details of his April 4 executive order include:
* Providing troops with “any training or instruction necessary” in order to fulfill the mission of securing the border.
* Ordering the Defense and Homeland Security departments to determine what they would need to fulfill the mission, and an action plan describing how they would move forward.
Numerous news agencies reported that Guard units began moving into position roughly a week after receiving the order. Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered 4,000 troops to take part in the mission. Tasks would primarily include manned and unmanned reconnaissance.
The decree drew a gamut of responses. Some reports say that nearly half the nation approves of it. Others point to critics who say the enterprise is unnecessary because illegal border traffic has declined significantly in recent years.
