Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee confirmed on Wednesday for the first time that he would send undocumented immigrants to the National Guard if President Donald Trump demanded.

Lee told reporters after a groundbreaking event at the University of Tennessee’s University of Applied Technology College on White Bridge Road in Nashville, and about Trump’s strategy to eliminate criminals who came to the United States illegally, the Tennessee National Guard He said there was no demand for the use of the military. Deported from the country.

However, Lee deports around 18 million immigrants, including US citizens, children of undocumented parents, despite the next president’s discussions. He said he fully supports Trump’s plan to eliminate criminals who are undocumented immigrants.

“My belief is that President Trump was elected saying what he wanted to do and people chose him in a very strong way,” Lee said. “And I support his strategy going forward. If that involves using the National Guard at the president’s request, I will work with governors across the country to do that.”

Lee previously issued a statement that he had asked state agencies to prepare to support Trump’s efforts to secure borders and keep their communities safe. That came after he spoke vaguely about the issue at a press conference in December, and then said the next president would set his strategy and that the state would work to “implement the strategy of working in Tennessee.”

Tennessee Immigration Rights Group condemns Lee’s commitment to help Trump deport

He said the Republican Governor General’s Association issued a letter signed by Lee, “supporting Trump’s commitment to dealing with the illegal immigration crisis and deporting illegal immigrants that pose a threat to our community and national security. He said he was saying “united.”

The governor recognised Wednesday whether troops from some states could enter other states to deport immigrants if the governor refuses to comply with orders to deploy Trump’s National Guard. I refused to speculate.

According to the US Council of Immigration, approximately 11 million people from January 2023 to April 2024 and from January 2023 to April 2024, lacking permanent legal status across the US southern border between January 2023 and April 2024. A massive, one-off deportation could cost another 2.3 million people.

The Tennessee Immigrants and Refugees Rights Union previously denounced Lee’s commitment, saying the move would hurt families and the local economy. The Immigration Rights Group said business leaders, economists, faith leaders and legal experts believe such a plan will be “disastrous.”

Republican leaders in the Tennessee state legislature have turned Lee’s willingness to use the military, and Democrats have criticized it as an attack on the immigrant community.