Gov. Jerry Brown agrees to send National Guard troops to border – but not for immigration enforcement

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday authorized the deployment of 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at the request of the Trump administration.

But it came with one caveat – that the guards would not be used for federal immigration enforcement.

“But let’s be crystal clear on the scope of this mission,” Brown wrote. “This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.”

The National Guard deployment is part of President Trump’s plan to protect the integrity of the southern border until a physical wall is constructed – but it’s a structure that is still years away from becoming a reality.

“Your funding for new staffing will allow the Guard to do what it does best: support operations targeting transnational criminal gangs, human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers along the border, the coast and throughout the state,” Brown continued. “Combating these criminal threats are priorities for all Americans – Republicans and Democrats.”

Under the plan, the guardsmen are not permitted to interact with migrants or engage with any illegal border crossers that are detained by the U.S. Border Patrol. Instead, they will serve in a more administrative role – including tasks like clearing roads.

Troops have already been deployed in Arizona and Texas.

Not surprisingly, Brown struck a tone of defiance in his statement, as California has positioned itself at the center of the resistance against President Trump’s immigration agenda in Washington.

“Here are the facts: there is no massive wave of migrants pouring into California,” Brown added. “Overall immigrant apprehensions on the border last year were as low as they’ve been in nearly 50 years (and 85 percent of the apprehensions occurred outside of California).”

According to the U.S. Border Patrol, there were 303,916 apprehensions along the Southwest border in 2017 – a drop from around 408,000 in the year before and down from a high of 1.6 million in 2000.

The state has become a flashpoint on larger issues like sanctuary cities and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, sparking high-profile legal and political fights.

“We’re also glad to see California Governor Jerry Brown work with the administration and send members of the National Guard to help secure the southern border,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Wednesday’s briefing.