By Nancy A. Youssef

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to provide roughly 20,000 National Guardsmen to secure the border, two U.S. defense officials said, a potential major escalation of the Trump administration's use of the military in its immigration crackdown.

If approved by the Pentagon, at least some of the forces could be under federal authority and used to support law enforcement, the officials said. It is unclear where the forces would go, which states would contribute Guard members and who would pay for the mission.

"We have received the request and are reviewing it," one official said. The request was reported earlier by the New York Times.

The military could approve the DHS request as is, modify it or deny it altogether. There are legal restrictions on the use of U.S. forces domestically, and the Pentagon has historically been reluctant to involve itself in what it has long viewed as law-enforcement tasks.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.) criticized the proposal.

"Trump's DHS is asking for 20,000 National Guardsmen to assist with immigration enforcement within our nation's borders -- something they've never been asked to do before and that is not part of the National Guard's mission," Duckworth said in a statement. "Not only does this undermine readiness and our national security, it also means Trump is testing the limits of how he can misuse our military against the American people."

An executive order Trump signed in January described border threats normally left to law-enforcement agencies as an "invasion" justifying a military response.

Last month, President Trump authorized the U.S. military to take jurisdiction over a strip of public land at the border that spans three states, a key step toward having U.S. troops play a larger role enforcing immigration laws at the southern border.

Under the Posse Comitatus Act, federal troops are generally prohibited from detaining migrants, seizing drugs from smugglers, intercepting or searching vehicles or having any direct involvement in stopping people from crossing the border. The president can waive the act if he declares the country is facing insurrection or internal violence.

Write to Nancy A. Youssef at nancy.youssef@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 15, 2025 17:44 ET (21:44 GMT)

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