Several state governors have withdrawn their troops from border missions. | File photo
Several state governors have withdrawn their troops from border missions. | File photo
Anger over the Trump Administration’s separation of migrant children from their parents has led Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, to order its National Guard troops to return from New Mexico.
Hogan on Tuesday ordered a helicopter and its crew to return to the state and said the state would not use its resources on border missions until the policy that has separated almost 2,000 children from their parents has ended.
“Immigration enforcement efforts should focus on criminals, not separating innocent children from their families,” Hogan announced on Twitter.
The action is only the second by a Republican governor in response to the administration's policy. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also canceled plans to send a National Guard helicopter and military analysts to the U.S. border with Mexico, citing “inhumane treatment of children,” according to a Washington Post report.
Democratic governors across the country have also made pledges. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said the state’s military reservists would not participate in efforts connected to the “inhumane practice” of separating children from their parents. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam also recalled four National Guard troops and a helicopter.
“We expected that they would play a role in preventing criminals, drug runners and other threats to our security from crossing into the United States,” Northam said in a statement. "Not supporting a policy of arresting families and separating children from their parents.”
Democrats running for governor in Maryland, as well as other state leaders like U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and state Sen. Richard Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), have been pressuring Hogan and demanding President Donald Trump and Congress end the practice of separation.
Nearly 70 percent of Marylanders support Hogan and 47 percent believe he has distanced himself “about the right amount” from Trump, whose disapproval rating is at 70 percent among Maryland residents. Approximately 27 percent believe he has distanced himself too little, according to The Sun report.
Alerts Sign-up