Roughly 1,700 National Guard troops will soon be on the streets in nearly two dozen states by the end of the summer, according to a new report.
In a Friday article, Fox News reported that President Donald Trump will soon be using his official powers to deploy the National Guard in 19 states "in the coming weeks." Trump will be deploying guardsmen under his presidential Title 32 authority, meaning that despite Trump initiating the deployment, guardsmen will still be reporting to state governors and their respective National Guard adjutant generals.
A Department of Defense official told Fox News that the guardsmen are meant to serve as a "visible deterrent" while assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Troops will be mainly handling administrative duties like "case management, transportation, logistical support and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal migrants at the facilities," according to the report. This could include "data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swapping and photographing of personnel in ICE custody."
READ MORE: 'Pump the brakes': GOP strategist says new Epstein audio is 'what Trump wants you to hear'
The network further reported that planning documents show the National Guard will be deploying in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. All of those states save for New Mexico have Republican governors. Their window of deployment will reportedly last between August and mid-November.
A spokesperson for the Virginia National Guard (VNG) told Fox that training for their deployment — scheduled for early September — will begin next week. The VNG spokesperson added that there are so far approximately 60 soldiers and airmen who will be deployed in the Old Dominion State.
"VNG personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests," the spokesperson said. "VNG Soldiers and Airmen will report directly to ICE leadership at their assigned duty locations but remain under the control and direction of the Virginia Governor and Adjutant General of Virginia."
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the U.S. military from conducting law enforcement operations on American soil. However, the Act doesn't apply to the president's Title 32 to call up the National Guard. The reported deployment comes on the heels of Trump telling reporters in an Oval Office press gaggle that he was contemplating sending the military to Chicago and New York City, following his imposition of federal control over Washington D.C.'s law enforcement operations.
READ MORE: 'I am the pick of the president!' Trump loyalist booted from job livid over her dismissal
Click here to read Fox's full report.