Around 120 Michigan National Guard Troops gathered at Western Michigan University’s Lawson Ice Arena Friday before being sent to the Southern border.
Members of Michigan’s 1430th Engineer Company will be assisting U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the U.S. - Mexico border for up to a year.
This comes as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration with the help of the National Guard.
Although these efforts have been controversial, Michigan National Guard Brigadier General Ravindra Wagh said the deployment isn't without precedent.
"The mission is really one that's been an enduring mission for several years now. The army guard has sent many soldiers and units to the Southwest border," Wagh said.
“Which has done to really augment the supported agency. In this case, DHS, Department of Homeland Security. And our role is to take all orders by, with and through that supported element under the command of a joint task force, of course, on the border.”
Elisa Grace’s husband is one of the many National Guard members set to head to the U.S.-Mexico border.
She said while there are many opinions surrounding President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard, she doesn’t view her husband’s deployment in the same light.
“We really look at it as something that he's doing as a duty to the nation, as a duty to the state, and I feel like it's not as politically charged as those national guard deployments that are going into cities.”
Ramona Tessier echoed this sentiment, saying the deployment was what the national guard was for.
“That's why we have the National Guard; to protect our borders. We don't have a country without a border. That's the way I look at it.”
According to a news release, this is the sixth time Michigan National Guard troops have been sent to the Southern border since 2020.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.