Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) on Tuesday announced the deployment of National Guard troops to support federal immigration agents in targeting illegal immigrants for deportation in Arkansas.
A total of 40 troops will be activated to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement in logistical and administrative functions, allowing the agency to focus on directly targeting those in Arkansas without legal status. Their duties will include helping ICE process detainees and performing clerical tasks, according to the governor’s office. They will also be driving in vehicles along with ICE agents and people they’ve detained. The guardsmen will not carry weapons or make arrests.
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“Violent, criminal, illegal immigrants have no place in Arkansas,” said Sanders. “I look forward to our guardsmen working with the Trump Administration to enforce federal immigration law. President [Donald] Trump has secured our border and is cleaning up our streets, and Arkansas stands with him every step of the way.”
Sanders’s announcement comes after the Pentagon in July approved a request by the Department of Homeland Security for 20 state National Guards to assist ICE, contingent on the governor’s approval in each state.
Georgia, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Wyoming, Nevada, Tennessee, Idaho, South Dakota, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, and Louisiana are among the states where Republican governors have since authorized the use of National Guard troops to support ICE. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R-MO) is still weighing the option in Missouri, while Gov. Phil Scott (R-VT) declined the Pentagon’s request in July.
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In Arkansas, troops are set to be stationed across the state. Eighteen will be assigned to Little Rock, 10 will be assigned to Fort Smith, 10 will be assigned to Fayetteville, and two will be placed at Camp Robinson.
Sanders, known for being President Donald Trump’s White House press secretary during his first term, will work with the Department of Homeland Security under federal Title 32 powers that allow guardsmen to remain under her control but be fully federally funded by Washington in all operations.