Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday confirmed that, if requested, he will activate the Tennessee National Guard to assist President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration with the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
During a press conference about his Tennessee Education Freedom plan to offer 20,000 partial scholarships to Tennessee families to promote school choice, Lee was asked whether would activate the National Guard to assist with mass deportations by a reporter who noted Lee was among signatories on a letter from Republican governors who pledged to assist the president-elect with his immigration agenda.
WATCH: After signing a letter vowing to help with Trump’s mass deportations, @GovBillLee says he “wants to know what Trump’s plans are” and implies he believes the focus will be on “criminals” (which we point out is not what Trump said) pic.twitter.com/glMv6hTyWa
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 8, 2025
Lee said that Trump has yet to formally request assistance from the Tennessee National Guard but confirmed, “I am fully in support of the president’s plan to remove criminals that are illegal immigrants.”
He told reporters, “President Trump was elected saying what he wanted to do, people elected him in a very strong fashion, and I am supportive of his strategies going forward. If that includes utilizing the National Guard, at the president’s request, then I work together with governors across the country to do that.”
Pressed on whether the Tennessee National Guard could play a role in other states that decline to participate in deporting illegal immigrants, Lee declined to participate in hypothetical questions but repeated, “I will support the president in his efforts.”
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