Governor Bruce Rauner says if asked by President Trump, he would send Illinois National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.“Frankly, the president is the commander-in-chief of our military," he said while fielding questions at an event in Springfield Tuesday. "Illinois has not been requested to send troops. If we are requested, I believe we’ll honor that request.”
So far, only Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have agreed to send guardsmen, after President Trump called for a military response to what he calls “lawlessness” at the border.
The Trump administration has agreed to pay for the deployment of up to 4,000 National Guard soldiers for the border security mission. No end date for the deployment has been announced.
Former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both deployed National Guard soldiers to the southern border during their tenure.
