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Arkansas Governor: Roundup Would Be Strain On National Guard

Governor Asa Hutchinson
Michael Hibblen
/
KUAR News

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he's concerned about a draft proposal to use National Guard troops from Arkansas to round up unauthorized immigrants.

The Republican governor said Friday he hasn't had any contact from the Trump administration about a draft Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Associated Press calling for mobilizing as many as 100,000 National Guard troops from Arkansas and 10 other states.

A DHS official has described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to the secretary for approval.

Hutchinson said DHS used National Guard partnerships for specific responsibilities along the border when he was an official there, but said he believed this would be too much of a strain on the state's guard.

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