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Mexican Government Says US National Guard At Border Won't Be Armed

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso met with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen on Wednesday.

By: Katie Cammarata

Posted at 8:02 AM, Apr 05, 2018

and last updated 2018-04-05 08:02:59-04

Mexico's foreign ministry said the U.S. National Guard troops at the border won't be armed.

That was just one of the things U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reportedly told Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Mexican foreign ministry said the National Guard will only be assisting the Department of Homeland Security and that the troops will not have weapons or immigration and customs duties.

Nielsen reportedly compared this deployment to operations ordered by President George W. Bush in 2006 and President Obama in 2010.

In the statement, the Mexican government said that if the deployment results in "militarization of the border, it would seriously damage the bilateral relationship."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday, ordering the secretary of defense to send troops to the border.