LANSING, MI - On June 4, 2024, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement supporting President Biden’s executive action to secure the country’s southern border after Republicans in Congress voted twice to block the toughest, fairest bipartisan border security legislation in modern history.

“President Biden’s executive action will help secure our country’s border by making it easier for immigration officers to remove those who are here unlawfully, reducing the burden on our Border Patrol agents. Today’s announcement builds on the president’s work to deploy a record number of border agents and officers to the southern border. The American people want real solutions, and President Biden is delivering today.

“However, we still need Congress to act on legislation that will strengthen these efforts. President Biden sent Congress a comprehensive immigration reform plan on day one, and repeatedly requested more border resources from Congress, only to be blocked by Republicans. They should stop playing political games and work with the administration on a coordinated, bipartisan federal solution to fix our broken system.

“As governor of Michigan and commander in chief of the Michigan National Guard, I will continue to approve federal requests for Guard deployments to the southern border -- just as we have under both the Trump and Biden administrations.

“We must work together to put politics aside to secure our border and keep people safe.”

Governor Whitmer’s Actions to Secure the Border

- Governor Whitmer is the first Michigan governor to send National Guard personnel in support of the southern border mission.
- Governor Whitmer approved requests for National Guard support under both Trump and Biden administrations.
- The Michigan Army National Guard sent 175 personnel of 3-126 Infantry to locations in Fort Bliss, Laredo, and El Paso, Texas from March 2020 to March 2021.
- Additionally, 37 members of Michigan’s 1431 Engineer Company have been on the ground in Zapata, Texas, since October 2020.
- In 2022, Governor Whitmer visited Michigan soldiers on the southern border to receive a briefing on the deployment’s mission.