California Governor-elect Gavin Newsom has long been at odds with President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Now, he's looking at pulling the state's National Guard from the border because he believes their services can be better used elsewhere.
“I have every desire to pull those Guardsmen back and assist in other capacities,” Newsom said. “It’s my intention today, but every day conditions change, and so I want to caveat that with that understanding.”
Newsom also said he planned to discuss the border situation with Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during his inauguration on Saturday.
"We can't do everything ourselves but I know we're capable of doing more," Newsom said at a news conference at the San Ysidro Civic Cente, not far from where caravan riders attacked Border Patrol agents last weekend.
Newsom was also quick to remind everyone that he objected to the state's National Guard because he didn't “fully understand the benefit of our Guard in relation to the military … I see the benefit of that Guard elsewhere.”
The Governor-elect's statements mean he's looking at playing a more active role in immigration policies and legislation that impact his state's southern border with Mexico. Although current Governor Jerry Brown has opposed Trump's tough immigration policies and refused to cooperate with federal authorities, Brown did join the president in sending the National Guard to the United States-Mexico border, the Associated Press reported.
Although Newsom wants to pull the Guardsmen from the border, the state has an agreement with the feds until March 31st. But things can significantly change over the next three months.
"We are responding to this crisis in real time," Newsom said.