ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Larry Hogan says Maryland will recall the four members of the National Guard he sent to the U.S.-Mexico border and will not deploy other resources until a federal policy of separating immigrant children from their families is rescinded.
Hogan made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter.
The Republican governor says he has ordered four crewmembers and a helicopter to immediately return from where they were stationed in New Mexico.
On Monday, Hogan tweeted that Washington has failed repeatedly to deliver needed immigration reform. The governor says Congress and President Donald Trump's administration "must step up and work together to fix our broken system."
Hogan says immigration enforcement efforts "should focus on criminals, not separating innocent children from their families."
Delaware
Delaware Governor John Carney (D) issued a statement saying that until there is a change in the immigration policy the First State will refuse to send resources to the border.
Meanwhile, state Attorney General Matt Denn (D) joined 20 other top state prosecutors across the country calling for a halt to the separation of children from their immigrant parents at the border.
The letter described this as a defining moment for the country and “what kind of country we wanted to be.”
It went on to charge that the children are being used as leverage in the fight over immigration legislation adding this is not the answer to immigration reform.
Denn said that the Trump policy makes it more difficult to get the trust of the immigrant population when it comes to cooperation with law enforcement.
Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he's recalling members of the state's National Guard from the U.S.-Mexico border because he disagrees with a federal policy of separating immigrant children from their families.
Northam made the announcement Tuesday, saying he would not devote resources that could support an "inhumane policy."
The Democratic governor said he had ordered four crewmembers and a helicopter to return to Virginia from Arizona. The crew was assisting the Arizona National Guard in surveillance operations on the border as part of a 90-day mission.
And Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday reversed a decision to send a National Guard helicopter.
