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What National Guard troops on the border can and can't do
Basically, a support and supply mission.
April 9, 2018
Hundreds of troops are on the way to the US-Mexico border after President Trump signed a memo warning of a security crisis there. National Guardsmen are already meeting with US Customs and Border Protection officials to plan next steps. They'll work together, but in some ways troops will have to stay in the background; legal restrictions limit what they can do on US soil. Defense Secretary James Mattis has authorized the deployment of up to 4,000 National Guard personnel through September 30, 2018. There's a law that dates back more than a century known as "posse comitatus," which bars active-duty US troops from domestic law enforcement without authorization. Other laws and regulations have further clarified that troops can't participate in activities such as making arrests and conducting searches, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis. What isn't permitted? What can they do? Here's a look:
What they can't do:
• Arrest people
• Seize drugs
• Conduct searches
What they can do:
• Aviation
• Engineering
• Surveillance
• Communications
• Vehicle maintenance
• Logistical support
Basically, a support and supply mission.