National Guard mobilization part of Trump’s border security strategy

President Trump is looking at using the National Guard to bolster border security.

The White House revealed this new detail in a statement on the administration’s immigration strategy following comments from Trump on Tuesday about how the military would protect the U.S.-Mexico border until a border wall can be constructed along with “proper security.”

“Last week, the President received a briefing from senior administration officials on the growing influx of illegal immigration, drugs and violent gang members from Central America, and directed a vigorous administrative strategy to confront this threat and protect America’s national security,” the statement from the White House said.

“Today, he received a follow up briefing to discuss his administration’s strategy, which includes the mobilization of the National Guard,” the statement added. “President Trump and senior officials present also agreed on the need to pressure Congress to urgently pass legislation to close legal loopholes exploited by criminal trafficking, narco-terrorist and smuggling organizations.”

The White House said that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary Kirsten Nielsen, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and others were included in the briefing.

The statement comes after Trump said the military would be involved protecting the U.S.-Mexico border prior to installing a border wall.

“We have very bad laws for our border and we are going to be doing some things, I’ve been speaking with Gen. Mattis, we’re going to be doing things militarily,” Trump said Tuesday before a working lunch with Baltic leaders. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we are going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step. We really haven’t done that before and certainly not very much before.”

Trump has long called for a wall along the southern border and has exerted pressure on lawmakers to secure funds for constructing it. He got $1.6 billion for wall construction in the omnibus bill he signed last month, which was far less than the $25 billion he wanted.

Additionally, Trump has reportedly suggested in private that funding for the project could come from the Defense Department because he argues the border is a “national security” issue.

Publicly, Trump has signaled a willingness to use funding from the defense budget to complete the project.

“Because of the $700 & $716 Billion Dollars gotten to rebuild our Military, many jobs are created and our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!” Trump tweeted last month.

Prior administrations have sent National Guard troops to the southern border. In 2010, President Barack Obama sent 1,200 National Guard troops, and President George W. Bush sent more than 6,000 troops from 2006 to 2008.