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California Becomes First State to Deploy National Guard Troops to Border
Photo via the Governor's office
Today Governor Guard Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the California National, deployed the first group of national guard troops to the Mexico border. They are the first to head to the border as part of President Barack Obama's plan to send 1,200 troops to the Southwest border.
"Today, our National Guard has been called to help secure the border and protect the safety of the American people, and I am proud that we are the first state to have our troops trained and operational for this mission,” he said. “These men and women will provide much needed assistance to help secure our border, but it’s important to remember that this is only the beginning. We must find a permanent solution to our broken immigration system. We need the federal government to step up with even more manpower and funding, and I will continue to push President Obama and Congress for action.”
The deployment will last up to a year and will support counternarcotics and border security operations. By September 1st, California's deployment is expected to be fully operational with a total of 224 troops at the border. For safety reasons, the number of troops deployed today could not be given, according to the Governor's office.
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