President Trump’s administration at some point considered mobilizing as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, according to a draft copy of an order obtained by The Associated Press. The AP’s report states that an 11-page draft memo showed the Trump administration considering an unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans.
The memo reportedly stated participating troops would be authorized “to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States,” according to the AP.
Eleven states would be targeted for raids, according to the memo. They include states on the U.S.-Mexico border like Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, and non-border states like Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. Governors in those states would have final approval on whether troops under their control participate, according to the AP.
If ever implemented, the impact would be enormous. Nearly half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S without authorization live in those 11 states according to a 2014 census carried out by Pew Research Center.