Today President Donald Trump signed a proclamation directing the National Guard to be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Earlier today DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen explained the process:

In a memorandum to Defense Secretary Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, President Trump states the “situation at the border has now reached a point of crisis.” The document orders the Secretary of Defense to support the Department of Homeland Security in securing the southern border to stop the flow of drugs and people.

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE – WHAT: President Donald J. Trump is authorizing the deployment of the National Guard to support the Border Patrol in its mission to protect our country and stop the stream of illegal immigration.

To give our Border Patrol agents the support they deserve, President Trump is authorizing the deployment of National Guard units to the southern border to aid their mission.

America’s Border Patrol agents work incredibly hard to do their jobs of enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws and protecting our national security. These law enforcement personnel are tasked with securing thousands of miles of border, however, and often do not have the manpower or resources necessary to stem the tide of illegal immigration into the United States.

Given the importance of secure borders to our national security, the National Guard, in coordination with governors, will remain in a support role until Congress takes the action necessary to close the loopholes undermining our border security efforts, including ending the practice of Catch and Release.

This is not the first time in recent history that the National Guard has been deployed to the southern border. In 2012, President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of guardsmen to the border. President George W. Bush also authorized deployment of 6,000 guardsmen to the border as a part of Operation Jump Start, assisting in operations which resulted in the arrest of more than 173,000 illegal aliens, the rescue of 100 persons, and the seizure of more than 300,000 pounds of drugs.

WHY: The President is taking action to protect America’s national security because congressional Democrats have obstructed efforts to secure our border.

Throughout his campaign and Administration, President Trump has called for greater resources and legal authorities to end the national security threat posed by our porous borders. The President has repeatedly outlined a series of steps that are crucial to fixing this problem, including funding to build a wall securing our southern border; greater resources for manpower and security technology; and the closure of legal loopholes that allow illegal immigration to flourish.

More than a thousand people a day and more than 300,000 a year violate our sovereignty by illegally crossing the border. With our current laws and resources, we cannot stop illegal aliens from crossing the border or remove all of the illegal aliens we catch. Of the over 75,000 family units apprehended in FY 2017, only 2,605 were removed.

Stonewalling by Members of Congress, however, has prevented our dedicated Border Patrol agents from getting the resources they so desperately need. Inaction has left glaring loopholes open and crucial legal authorities unauthorized, so the President is taking action and using his existing powers to fill these gaps. (WH Link)