SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Governor Jerry Brown has agreed to deploy 400 National Guard troops at President Donald Trump’s request, according to the Associated Press.
Brown specified that not all the troops will head to the U.S.-Mexico border and none will enforce federal immigration enforcement.
The troops will focus on fighting drug crime, firearms smuggling and human tracking, a letter sent to the Trump by Brown Wednesday said.
RELATED: Trump signs memo sending National Guard to secure border
"Combating these criminal threats are priorities for all Americans --Republicans and Democrats," Brown wrote. "That's why the state and the Guard have long supported this important work and agreed to similar targeted assistance in 2006 under President Bush and in 2010 under President Obama."
"But let's be crystal clear on the scope of this mission," Brown wrote. "This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws."
Governors in the border states of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico have already deployed troops to the border. Until Wednesday, California was the only state that didn’t respond to Trump’s request.
RELATED: Texas Governor Greg Abbott to send additional National Guard troops to Mexico border
Trump has said he wants up to 4,000 troops to be sent to the border to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Brown said the deployment will happen pending review and approval of the federal government.
