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Pentagon Reviews DHS Request for 20,000 National Guard Troops for Interior Immigration Enforcement

The proposed deployment would mark the first use of National Guard forces in domestic immigration operations beyond border support, with legal and logistical questions under scrutiny.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
National Guard soldiers walk on the day U.S. authorities hold a ceremony to deputise the Texas National Guard to enforce Title 8 immigration laws, near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025.
FILE - A deportation officer with Enforcement and Removal Operations in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's New York City field office conducts a brief before an early morning operation, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Employees leave the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which houses immigration detainees, on Oct. 5, 2021 in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / U-T file)

Overview

  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has formally requested 20,000 National Guard troops to assist in interior immigration enforcement as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.
  • Pentagon lawyers are currently reviewing the request, focusing on legal constraints, including the Posse Comitatus Act, and operational details.
  • This would be the first time National Guard troops are deployed for interior immigration enforcement, expanding their role beyond traditional border support activities like logistics and surveillance.
  • Key details, such as whether state governors must approve the deployment and the specific roles of the troops, remain unresolved.
  • The move has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who argue it represents an overreach of military use in domestic law enforcement.