The Trump administration is considering mobilizing 100,000 members of the National Guard to act as a mass deportation force against undocumented immigrants, the Associated Press reports.
A leaked draft memo obtained by the AP outlines a plan that involves "unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana."
The leaked document makes clear, however, that National Guard members will only be mobilized in different states to round up immigrants if the governors of those states approve of using them for the operation.
The memo in question was written by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the AP claims.
The AP reports that the document has been reviewed by DHS staff over the last two weeks.
Senior Assistant White House Press Secretary Michael Short, however, shot down the AP's report on the draft memo, and said the story was simply "not true."
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, meanwhile, tells NBC News that "there is no effort to utilize the national guard to round up immigrants."
The AP said it requested comment from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security but was ignored.
The whole 11-page draft follows below.
