Sununu deploying New Hampshire National Guard to US-Mexico border

by Zach Schonfeld - 10/03/22 12:21 PM ET

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu arrives for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Loudon, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) will deploy two units of his state’s National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday afternoon, his office announced.

“New Hampshire is grateful for the heroic men and women of our National Guard,” Sununu said in a statement.

“They answered the call to serve during the COVID pandemic, and are now answering our nation’s call — deploying to the ongoing humanitarian crisis along our southern border,” Sununu continued. “As these brave men and women deploy, New Hampshire stands by our National Guard and we wish everyone a safe and speedy return home.”

Sununu will speak at a deployment ceremony on Monday afternoon in Pembroke, N.H., at a National Guard regional training center.

He is the latest GOP governor to draw attention to border security after migrant encounters last fiscal year surpassed 2 million, hitting an all-time record.

Three Republicans — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — have bused or flown migrants to Democratic-run cities in recent weeks to criticize the Biden administration’s border policies and share the burden felt by overwhelmed border communities.

Those efforts fueled fury among Democrats, who argue the relocations cruelly turn migrants into political pawns.

Sununu’s office said the deployment will comprise approximately 164 soldiers, who will conduct surveillance along the border but are prohibited from being in contact with migrants in the country illegally.

The National Guardsmen are instructed to notify Customs and Border Protection of border crossings they encounter.

A unit of the New Hampshire National Guard previously went to the border from October 2020 through November 2021, which Sununu’s office said assisted in 207,320 apprehensions, $893 million in illegal drug seizures and 20 migrant lives saved.

During the Trump administration, Sununu pledged he would not use New Hampshire National Guard resources for “separating families” along the border.

Sununu’s latest deployment involves 44 soldiers from the 941st Military Police Battalion HQ, the unit’s first deployment, and 120 soldiers from the 237th Military Police Company, which last deployed to Afghanistan roughly a decade ago, his office said.