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A draft memo obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday shows that the Trump administration considered mobilizing National Guard troops to deport millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, many of whom live far from the Mexican border.

The list of states in the draft memo where National Guard troops would potentially be deployed does not include Vermont, according to the Guardian.

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The use of the National Guard has been the purview of governors.

At a press conference on Friday, Gov. Phil Scott said if Vermont was on the list he would “resist” the idea of using the Vermont National Guard for roundups of undocumented immigrants, if so ordered by President Donald Trump.

Scott said he didn’t want the state to authorize militarized deportations by local and state law enforcement — including the National Guard.

“I would seek advice from general counsel and the Vermont Attorney General,” Scott said. “I believe the National Guard is under my control, but I would want to check that.

“I would want to make sure I was on solid ground in this regard,” he said.

The governor said he had considered this possibility when he worked with the TJ Donovan, the Vermont attorney general, to craft legislation that pushes back on executive orders requiring the state to use local and state law enforcement for federal deportations.

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Scott said the executive order is an “overreach” and potentially violates the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects states’ rights.

“[Trump] having the ability to deputize local and state law enforcement was concerning to me and it’s a constitutional issue,” Scott said. “I would be hesitant to do so.”

Scott, who has advocated for increasing the state’s population, said: “We need more citizens in Vermont. We need legal immigrants. We have an obligation to the most vulnerable, to the refugees coming from war torn countries. We have an obligation to help them so from that standpoint I would be resistant to the use of military force to deport immigrants.”

The Vermont National Guard has more than 2,600 members.

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