A senior government official has said that President Donald Trump instructed the departments of the Defense and Homeland Security to coordinate with state governors on the deployment of National Guard troops to help secure the southern border, DoD News reported Wednesday.
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said at a press briefing held Wednesday at the White House the military would augment Customs and Border Protection operations along the Mexican border.
Nielsen added that DoDÂ has supported DHS in efforts to counter the distribution of illegal narcotic drugs, build infrastructure, conduct persistent surveillance operations training and provide aerial support across the Western Hemisphere.
