Governor Says He’s Open To Sending National Guard To U.S. Border If Asked

Gov. John Hickenlooper says President Trump has not asked him to send Colorado National Guard Troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We'd certainly look at it," he told reporters Thursday. "In the past, Colorado has sent troops to the border for specific purposes."

The Trump administration wants 4,000 troops along the U.S.-Mexico line to fight drug trafficking and illegal immigration, as NPR reported. All four border states have agreed to send National Guard troops to the southern border, based on the president's request.

Gov. Jerry Brown of California specified that troops from his state will not enforce immigration laws or build a border wall.

"Let's be crystal clear on the scope of this mission," Brown wrote in the letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, as reported by NPR. "This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws."

Hickenlooper said he won't discuss similar restrictions before there's a request from the president.