Massachusetts

Gov. Charlie Baker Opposes Use of National Guard for Immigration Roundup

His statement was in response to an AP report that the Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to carry out immigration enforcement

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday that he is against the use of National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants.

"I am opposed to any suggestion of using this approach to enforce our nation's broken immigration system, and believe the federal government should instead be focused on detaining criminals, gang members or suspected terrorists wanted by federal authorities and who pose a significant threat to public safety or national security, while working on long overdue bipartisan and comprehensive reforms," he said.

He added that Massachusetts "is a global and diverse community and our administration is committed to continuing to make it a welcoming place to live, work and raise a family." He said the use of National Guard members for this reason would be "an inappropriate use of their resources."

Baker's statement was in response to an Associated Press report that the Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to carry out immigration enforcement.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security both denied the report.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer called the report "100 percent not true," adding that there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants."

A DHS official described the document obtained by AP as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to the secretary for approval.

Massachusetts was not named in the report, and no request was made to the Massachusetts National Guard.

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