Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is mobilizing the National Guard to help federal agents with President Donald Trump’s mass deportations.
Responding to questions from the Tennessee Lookout, the Governor’s Office restated Tuesday what Lee has said several times, “Tennessee stands ready to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our nation’s borders and remove the most violent criminals from our streets.”
Acting on a request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the governor authorized National Guard troops to assist with administrative and clerical duties at Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facilities in Tennessee. Guard members, working under the governor’s orders but being paid by the federal government, will help ICE with data entry, case management and logistical support, according to the governor’s spokesperson, Elizabeth Johnson.
The mission is in the planning stage, and the Guard will work with state and federal agencies to decide how to respond to the request, according to Johnson.
Key Republican leaders in state government have supported the president’s deportation moves from the outset, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge.
“I absolutely agree with the use of National Guard personnel for the purpose of providing administrative and logistical support for ICE as they enforce immigration law. Our laws have been ignored and our border has been overrun for too long. Tennessee stands ready to support President Trump’s efforts to restore order to the border in any way it can,” McNally said in a statement to the Lookout.
Lee has made no secret of his plans to use state personnel to back Trump’s deportation of millions of immigrants. But while the governor mentioned aiding with the removal of violent criminals, Trump hasn’t limited deportation to those accused of serious crimes.
The governor asked state agencies to start preparing for deportation efforts on the first day of Trump’s second presidential term in January.
Tennessee is reported to be one of 20 states whose Republican governors agreed to assist ICE with deportation tasks such as paperwork. But National Public Radio reported the Department of Homeland Security is considering using National Guard troops for detention and transportation of immigrants as well as finding “fugitives.”
Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville criticized the move Tuesday, saying Congress set aside nearly $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security, including $75 billion for ICE. He questioned why Tennessee taxpayers should help with deployment.
“Also, if Gov. Lee wants to ‘play Army’ and mobilize the National Guard, he should have it deliver food and aid packages to the children across Tennessee who he intentionally refused to feed this summer,” Clemmons said.
Lee declined to include the state in a federally-funded summer food program, turning down an estimated $75 million that affected about 700,000 children and opting for a $3 million state-run program for fewer kids.
This article was originally published by the Tennessee Lookout.
