Trump Sends National Guard Troops to the Mexico Border

Joyce N. Boghosian

President Donald Trump alongside his wife Melanie Trump, and his son Barron Trump. President Trump has stirred discussion recently with his decision to place National Guard troops on the Mexico border. Photo by By Joyce N. Boghosian [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By Christopher Norris, Reporter
May 1, 2018

President Donald Trump is stationing members of the National Guard on the Mexican border.

The extra border security is an effort to bring an end to the illegal immigration problems that Trump has been concerned with since taking office.

In the grand scheme of things, Trump wants to build a wall on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigrants from entering the United States.

President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd while campaigning. President Trump has made it clear from the beginning that border control is one of his major concerns. Photo by Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
While some remain skeptical about the wall being a real possibility, sophomore Conner Kernan is confident that the wall will be built.

“Illegal aliens cost our country 113 billion dollars every year,” said Kernan. “The wall will pay itself off very fast. The president’s job is to protect us, and I believe President Trump will do so by building the wall and keeping us safe.”

Trump believes sending up to 4,000 National Guard troops would be a viable option for border control until construction of the wall begins.

Even with a sufficient amount of troops on patrol, senior Hannah Kitchell is aware of some of the negative effects this could have.

“It ups the intensity of conflict,” said Kitchell. “It sends the message that we are not willing to find a more peaceful solution to the problem.”

This image clearly shows the border between the United States and Mexico. San Diego, California is o the left, and Tijuana, Mexico is on the right. Photo by By Sgt. 1st Class Gordon Hyde (http://www.ngb.army.mil) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Some people, including Kitchell, believe our problems with illegal immigration have not reached the point to where immediate action on the border needs to take place.

“I feel as though focusing on issues that directly affect actual American citizens is more important, such as the amount of debt young Americans are starting their adult lives with, homelessness and poverty,” said Kitchell.

Kernan takes a different stance.

“We need action now,” said Kernan. “A lot of these individuals coming into our country are bad people. Luis Bracamontes came here illegally to Sacramento and took the lives of two deputies…The wall needs to be built for our protection.”

While it may come at the price of a more hostile relationship with Mexico, there is no denying that sending troops to the border will decrease the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States.

Our hope as American citizens is that president Trump tackles the border control issue in a manner that allows the United States to succeed most in the future.