Up to 1,700 National Guardsmen are preparing to mobilize across 19 states in the coming weeks to support the Department of Homeland Security in President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and crime, Pentagon officials confirmed to FOX News.
Documents obtained by FOX News outline activation plans in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. Texas is expected to host the largest Guard presence, with operations running from August through mid-November.
According to a U.S. Defense official, the mobilized soldiers will serve as critical support to a sweeping federal interagency effort and act as a visible deterrent force. Troops assisting ICE will handle case management, transportation, logistics, and clerical duties related to processing illegal migrants at detention facilities. These tasks may include data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and photographing individuals in ICE custody.
President Trump recently told a group of federal agents and National Guard troops at a DC patrol center, “We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places.” On Friday, he added from the Oval Office, “I think Chicago will be our next. And then we’ll help with New York.”
While the Pentagon would not confirm next steps, a Defense official told FOX, “We won’t speculate on further operations, but can tell you that the department is a planning organization and continues to work and plan with other agency partners to protect federal assets and personnel.”
So far, fewer than 2% of the authorized forces have mobilized. However, missions coordinated under state governors are expected to ramp up. In Virginia, about 60 soldiers and airmen will begin training on August 25 to start duty in early September, the Virginia National Guard confirmed.
“VNG personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests,” a spokesperson told FOX. “VNG Soldiers and Airmen will report directly to ICE leadership at their assigned duty locations but remain under the control and direction of the Virginia Governor and Adjutant General of Virginia.”
The deployment of state-controlled National Guard troops gives the U.S. military a more direct role in supporting federal immigration enforcement as the Trump administration intensifies deportation efforts targeting criminal illegal aliens.
Because the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 restricts the use of the military in civilian law enforcement, the mobilizations are being carried out under Title 32 Section 502F authority, which does not fall under those restrictions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently approved hundreds of additional forces for DHS-ICE support, shifting existing authorizations from Title 10 to Title 32 status.
A defense official explained that while the initial request seemed administrative in nature, planning revealed ICE required broader support. “As you can imagine, some of those tasks start to get close to that law enforcement line. So it’s best that these people are in a Title 32 status so that we are absolutely staying within the law of what we’re doing,” the official said.
Most deployments remain in coordination stages with DHS and state governors, though operations are expected to begin in Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, and Nevada in early September. Vermont declined to activate its National Guard forces despite Pentagon authorization.
The mobilizations in the states coincide with nearly 2,000 National Guard troops already deployed to Washington, D.C., and six other states to support law enforcement. Under direct presidential authority, Guard members in the capital have been stationed at monuments, checkpoints, and traffic stops across all eight wards. At Secretary Hegseth’s direction, those troops may now carry weapons depending on their assignments.
A Defense official stressed that while the DC deployments and the 19-state mobilization both align with President Trump’s directive on immigration enforcement and crime reduction, the missions remain distinct.
“The big question is how long do we stay?” Trump said on Friday. “Because if we stay, we want to make sure it doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out.”
Officials have also tied the DC deployment to preparations for next year’s 250th Independence Day celebrations, though the president has suggested the Guard could remain in the capital longer before similar efforts expand nationwide.
The White House clarified that planning for the National Guard’s logistical support role with DHS preceded Trump’s recent comments about replicating DC’s enforcement model elsewhere.
“This isn’t new, nor is it tied to the President’s efforts to address violent crime in DC,” a White House official said. “DoD announced last month that National Guard troops would assist DHS with clerical support and other logistical tasks for processing illegal aliens at ICE facilities. It is separate from the federal interagency crime crackdown.
“Bottom line: The National Guard mobilizing to assist ICE with clerical and logistical tasks in several states is not the same as the President’s actions to stop crime in DC,” the official added.
