OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who also serves as the chair of the National Governors Association, expressed his disapproval on Thursday of allowing National Guard troops to be deployed across state lines without the consent of the state that would receive them.
This stance from a Republican governor is a notable challenge to former President Donald Trump’s initiative, which advocated for deploying National Guard forces to cities led by Democratic officials. This includes places like Chicago, where Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker are engaged in legal action to prevent the Texas Guard’s deployment.
The administration is also trying to send California troops into Portland, Oregon.
Stitt’s spokesperson, Abegail Cave, mentioned that while Stitt backs Trump’s mission to establish law and order in certain cities and assist federal efforts in deporting criminal immigrants, he firmly believes that one state’s National Guard should not be sent to another state if the local governor opposes it.
“The situation is entirely different when governors collaborate, but when one state’s governor sends their National Guard troops against the wishes of the governor in another state, it sets a very concerning precedent,” Cave stated.
Talking to The New York Times on Thursday, Stitt remarked that “Oklahomans would indeed be upset if Pritzker in Illinois dispatched troops to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”
Stitt highlighted an important distinction: Although he contests sending troops where they’re uninvited, he suggested that Trump could have federalized the Illinois National Guard instead to safeguard federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. This strategy mirrors Trump’s response in the summer when he deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles amidst protests.
The National Governors Association, a bipartisan group, has experienced turmoil, with Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatening to leave the organization because of its silence over the troop deployments. The organization has still not taken a stance.
Stitt’s position puts him at odds with the state’s Republican Attorney General and officials in most other Republican-controlled states.
Oklahoma’s Gentner Drummond was among 20 Republican attorneys general to file a brief Wednesday supporting Trump’s administration in its legal battle to allow him to deploy Oregon and California National Guard troops in Portland.
In the filing, they say the president needs to be able to federalize National Guard and send troops to Oregon so that federal immigration resources are not diverted there. “Otherwise, states will continue to bear the costs of nonenforcement of federal immigration laws,” they said.
Most Republican-controlled state including Oklahoma, have also requested permission to file similar papers in the Illinois court case.
The Democratic attorneys general or governors of 24 states also filed jointly Wednesday to side with California and Oregon.
There’s a similar partisan split over the use of troops in Washington, D.C.
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Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
