Trump immigration: Texas sends National Guard to Mexico border

The US state of Texas is deploying National Guard members to the border with Mexico following a call from President Donald Trump.

A Guard spokesman said 250 personnel would be sent to patrol the area within the next 72 hours.

Arizona is also planning to deploy 150 troops there next week.

President Trump says he wants to send up to 4,000 National Guard members to secure the border with Mexico, until his proposed border wall is built.

The states of New Mexico and California have been asked to take similar action to Texas and Arizona.

Also on Friday, the US president outlined plans to end a practice dubbed "catch and release" as part of his stricter anti-immigration policies.

Mr Trump wants illegal immigrants to be held in detention while they wait to hear if they will be deported, instead of being freed.

He has asked the US Department of Defense for a detailed list of military and other facilities that could perform that function.

When is Trump going to build his wall?

Constructing a "big, beautiful wall" along the Mexican border was a signature Trump campaign promise, but so far the plan to erect a new physical barrier has been thwarted by lawmakers and appears to have stalled.

A major government spending bill which he signed last month included $1.6bn (£1.1bn) for the border wall - far short of the $25bn the White House sought.

And there were strings attached to the funding Congress did approve. Most of it can only be used to repair stretches of the border where there already is a wall, not to build new segments.

Source: bbc