Washington (CNN) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Wednesday her decision to order the withdrawal of National Guard troops from the southern border was to avoid using the reserve military force to "militarize the border."

"I'm not going to participate, nor do I think it's appropriate in any shape or fashion to use the National Guard to attempt to militarize the border where we're dealing with asylum seekers who their constitutional rights continue to be breached," the newly elected Democratic governor said Wednesday during a news conference in her state.

She also argued that after meeting with National Guard and Border Patrol, "they could not make an effective case that having the National Guard presence there has assisted them in any meaningful way at dealing with any nefarious activity along the border."

She said that the deployment of the National Guard was taking funding from other state needs, listing infrastructure and health care.

In a statement announcing her decision Tuesday, Lujan Grisham rejected President Donald Trump's claim that there's a national security crisis at the US southern border.

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