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The
Democratic governor's decision to pull back around 112 troops
follows similar moves by Democratic leaders of New Mexico and
California who said President Donald Trump, a Republican, had
invented a crisis on the border for political gain.
"There is simply not ample evidence to support the president’s
contention that there exists a national security crisis at our
southwestern border," Evers said in a statement, adding that
securing the border was the responsibility of U.S. Customs and
Border Patrol.
The move was a rebuke to Trump, who won election in 2016 partly
on a populist pledge to build a wall on the southern U.S.
border.
Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to help build the wall was
central to a 35-day partial U.S. government shutdown that ended
last month. After Congress refused to grant him the funds, Trump
declared a national emergency to gain money for the wall.
A coalition of 16 states led by California sued Trump this month
over his use of emergency powers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Trump's claims of an
illegal immigration crisis was "political theater" at a time
when border crossings were at their lowest level since 1971.
Trump deployed an additional 3,750 U.S. troops to the border
this month, taking the total number of active duty and National
Guard forces supporting Customs and Border Protection agents to
more than 6,500.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Bill Tarrant
and G Crosse)
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