SAN DIEGO (AP) — The California National Guard is denying a report by that California has rejected President Trump's plan to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Associated Press originally reported that troops would not be allowed to fix and repair vehicles, operate remotely-controlled surveillance cameras to report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol, operate radios and provide "mission support," which can include clerical work, buying gas and handling payroll, the state reportedly told federal officials.
Lt. Col. Thomas Keegan said Monday afternoon that "state officials have not rejected anything since the Governor responded to the federal government last Wednesday with the proposed 'Memorandum of Agreement between the State of California and The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.'
President Trump praised Governor Jerry Brown last week after Brown pledged 400 troops to the Guard's third large-scale border mission since 2006.
RELATED: Trump says San Diego 'pushing hard' for border wall
The governor's commitment allowed Trump to boast support from all four border-state governors and helped put the president above the lower end of his threshold of marshaling 2,000 to 4,000 troops that he wants as a border security mission to fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
But the Democratic Brown conditioned his support by insisting that California's troops have nothing to do with immigration enforcement. He was not specific about jobs his troops would or would not perform or how he would distinguish between immigration-related work and going after criminal gangs and drug and gun smugglers.
RELATED: San Diego set to receive 28 new miles of border wall
Brown last week characterized his decision to contribute troops as a welcome infusion of federally-funded support to fight transnational criminal gangs and drug and firearms smugglers. According to one U.S. official, the California Guard has suggested assigning about 40 troops to marijuana eradication across the state.
