The Utah Army National Guard sent a message to some members today asking for volunteers to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) later this year.
The message, which was obtained by Utah Political Watch, offered members the opportunity to sign up for "a volunteer mission to assist DHS/ICE" starting next month. Names would need to be submitted by Monday.
"This is an ASK/Volunteer mission, not TASK/Mandatory," the message reads. "Duties include: transportation, administrative, and logistical support."
The Utah National Guard confirmed to Utah Political Watch that the message was legitimate.
The message seeking volunteers came just hours after Governor Spencer Cox said that Utah had been discussing with the federal government how the Utah National Guard could assist the Trump administration's efforts.
"What we've said from the very beginning is that we are willing to work to support the efforts to remove the people who are here illegally," Cox said during his Thursday televised press conference.
Cox added that Utah National Guard troops would only help out if it were in a support role.
"Our National Guard will not be putting hands on, people will not be arresting people. That is not the role of the National Guard and we would not allow that to happen."
The UANG request specifies that volunteers would only be providing administrative and logistical support and transportation for DHS/ICE operations, which aligns with what Cox told reporters.
"We've offered in the past to help with things like transportation, because we've had problems, to help with things like transport because we don't have an ICE facility here. Transportation takes a lot of time and effort away from Homeland Security and their ability to do their jobs. Processing, paperwork, those types of things that make it difficult. We've offered to help there," Cox said.
The governor added that he would only sign off on using the guard to provide support for federal operations if the federal government paid for it.
Cox stressed that he was not planning on sending National Guard members to support the Trump administration's law enforcement efforts in Washington, D.C.
Cox's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The National Guard sent 350 service members to Washington, D.C. in 2021 to assist with security for President Joe Biden's inauguration. Utah National Guard soldiers and airmen also provided support for the state's response during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
