In border crackdown, Trump mobilizing National Guard in NM, other states

The Pentagon has confirmed that National Guard units in New Mexico will be mobilized in the coming weeks to support federal immigration enforcement, part of a broader 19-state activation ordered by the Trump administration to combat illegal immigration and related crime.

Documents obtained by FOX News show up to 1,700 Guardsmen nationwide will assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The mobilizations, effective from late August through mid-November, will occur in states including Texas, Florida, Georgia, and New Mexico. Texas is expected to see the largest deployment, but New Mexico’s presence will play a critical role in supporting facilities such as the Otero County Processing Center and other ICE operations across the border region.

A White House official emphasized the deployments had been planned before President Trump’s recent comments about expanding federal law enforcement initiatives seen in Washington, D.C., to other parts of the country. “This isn’t new nor is it tied to the President’s efforts to address violent crime in DC,” the official said. Instead, the Pentagon says the deployments are designed to help DHS with “clerical support and other logistical tasks for processing illegal aliens at ICE facilities.”

In practice, Guard members in New Mexico and other states will not conduct direct law enforcement but will serve as vital support personnel. According to a U.S. defense official, duties will include case management, transportation, logistical support, and clerical functions. “The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody,” the official said.

While opponents have criticized the deployments as an expansion of military involvement in immigration enforcement, the Pentagon points out that these missions fall under Title 32 Section 502F authority. That means Guardsmen remain under the control of their governors but can provide support functions without violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts active military involvement in civilian law enforcement.

The mobilization comes as New Mexico Democrats, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, face pressure over their handling of ICE facilities in the state. The governor recently declined an invitation from Republican lawmakers to tour the Otero County Processing Center, citing a “busy schedule,” while her allies in the Legislature consider measures to ban such facilities outright. If enacted, the ban would eliminate hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in revenue for rural counties like Otero, Torrance, and Cibola — even as federal immigration enforcement expands and detainee populations continue to grow.

President Trump has made clear that these actions are part of his broader mission to restore law and order nationwide. Addressing federal agents and Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., he said: “We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places.” On Friday, he added, “I think Chicago will be our next. And then we’ll help with New York.”

For New Mexico, the deployment means its Guard units will be directly integrated into the federal effort, supporting ICE’s case management and detention operations at a time when illegal border crossings are down and enforcement is ramping up. DHS has praised the Guard’s role as both a logistical backbone and a visible deterrent.

As the mobilizations roll out, the question for New Mexico is twofold: will the governor cooperate with federal partners to ensure a smooth mission, and will the Legislature jeopardize rural economies by targeting the very detention facilities where these Guard units are now preparing to serve?

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