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Gov Mike Kehoe Considers Deploying Missouri National Guard To Help Ice

Bonisiwe Shabane
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gov mike kehoe considers deploying missouri national guard to help ice

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is dispatching the Missouri National Guard to support President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. The Republican governor announced on Tuesday that, starting on Wednesday, members of the Missouri National Guard will “assist with administrative, clerical, and logistical duties at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facilities within the... “Public safety, keeping Missourians safe, and upholding the rule of law is our administration's top priority,” Kehoe said in a statement. “The Missouri National Guard is uniquely equipped to provide this essential administrative support, and we are confident their contributions will be invaluable to immigration enforcement efforts. Missouri is proud to join in the Trump administration's efforts to keep our state and nation secure.”

Kehoe’s move comes as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics are garnering a broader public outcry, most notably this week in Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has called on Chicago residents to film ICE personnel spotted downtown. When asked if the Missouri National Guard will protect ICE facilities or ICE personnel detaining people who are suspected in being in the country unlawfully, Kehoe spokeswoman Gabby Picard said members of the Guard... Gov. Mike Kehoe is weighing a request from the Trump administration to deploy the state's National Guard to support federal immigration enforcement in Missouri.

If approved, Guard members would help handle administrative and logistical tasks for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — not arrests — according to Kehoe's spokesperson Gabby Picard. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense said assistance could include case management, transportation and clerical support for the in and out processing of detainees without legal status. The Missouri National Guard did not respond to a question on how many troops were requested from the Trump administration. The request follows a July 25 order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to bring members of military under the command of state governors and authorized them to support immigration enforcement.

That adjustment added 500 troops to help the immigration agency, bringing total DoD support to about 1,700 service members. (MISSOURI) Governor Mike Kehoe is weighing a Trump administration request to deploy the Missouri National Guard to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid a sharp rise in federal immigration operations, according to state officials. No final decision had been announced as of August 27, 2025. Missouri is one of 10 new states considering the move, part of a broader mobilization that could place up to 1,700 National Guard members across 19 states to help with administrative, logistical, and transportation... If approved, Guard personnel would remain under Kehoe’s command and would not make arrests, a point emphasized by both his office and the Pentagon.

The request arrived in July, days after a July 25, 2025 order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorizing governors to deploy Guard members in support of ICE under state control. Officials say this effort is separate from federal deployments tied to violent crime in cities and focuses only on immigration support. Governor Kehoe has framed the decision as part of a broader push to support law enforcement while maintaining order during protests. His office noted he signed Executive Order 25-25 in June to activate the Guard on standby during demonstrations, though no Guard units were ultimately sent then. Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday that he has authorized the Missouri National Guard to help at ICE facilities in Missouri.

The mission will begin on Wednesday, Kehoe's office wrote in a news release. "This decision comes in response to a request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Department of War (DOW) to ensure the resources and personnel needed to effectively enforce immigration laws and maintain operational control of the border," the release states. Guard members will help with administrative, clerical and logistical duties at ICE processing facilities, the statement says. The governor's office told ABC 17 News that 15 Guard members will be deployed. Homeland Security would have information about where they will be used, the governor's office said.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced he has authorized the Missouri National Guard to assist with Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Missouri. Kehoe said the National Guard will offer support with “administrative, clerical and logistical duties,” which include data entry and case management at processing facilities. “Public safety, keeping Missourians safe, and upholding the rule of law is our administration's top priority,” Kehoe said in a news release. “The Missouri National Guard is uniquely equipped to provide this essential administrative support, and we are confident their contributions will be invaluable to immigration enforcement efforts. Missouri is proud to join in the Trump administration's efforts to keep our state and nation secure.”

The Missouri National Guard will begin assisting ICE on Oct. 1 and will be authorized to do so until Sept. 30, 2026. Kehoe said the decision came from a "request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to the Department of War" — which President Donald Trump and his administration are aiming to rebrand from the Department of Defense — to ensure sufficient resources and personnel to...

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