Gov. Mark Dayton said Friday that reports of the Trump administration considering using National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants were "concerning" and that such a move would be problematic if it happened in Minnesota.
The Associated Press reported Friday morning on a Department of Homeland Security memo proposing the mobilization of troops to apprehend and detain suspected undocumented immigrants across southern and western states. The future of the proposal is unclear; the Associated Press reported that the White House and the Department of Homeland Security had not responded to requests for comment. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that the memo in question was "not a White House document."
Dayton, responded to a question from a reporter on Friday, said he had just learned of the report and needed to get more information. But he said he was not supportive of the idea of Guard troops in Minnesota or elsewhere serving in such a function.
"If they're going to go after law-abiding people who are here undocumented, that's very, very concerning and very disruptive to families and communities and to the cohesion of our state."
Dayton said that if President Donald Trump were to nationalize Guard troops, they would be operating under his authority, rather than the governors of affected states. Should that directive come to Minnesota, Dayton said he would take issue with the idea.
"I would certainly advise them against coming into Minnesota and removing people forcibly who again, have not committed a crime and they are here and often employed and paying taxes and part of the community," he said. "I just think it's going to be very disruptive."
