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Guard units at the border won't be armed, administration tells Mexico Military Police keep watch near the Mexico border as President Donald Trump takes a tour of the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County, Calif., on March 13, 2018. TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Thursday Apr 5, 2018 at 2:27 PM Apr 5, 2018 at 4:23 PM President Trump says he wants to send 2,000 and 4,000 National Guard members to help federal officials fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking Wire Reports Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has told Mexican authorities that National Guard troops deployed on the border would not be armed or participate in immigration or customs duties, according to the Mexican Foreign Ministry. Nielsen's plan, though still vague, would use state Guard units in support roles, in accordance with U.S. law, resembling the two recent deployments from Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Mexico said it has emphasized to the Trump administration that if the deployment comes to resemble a militarization of the border, "it will gravely damage the bilateral relationship." President Donald Trump has spent several days warning of a growing crisis on the border even though illegal immigration is at its lowest level in decades. He has repeatedly accused Mexico of doing too little to stop migrants from Central America. The plan to use National Guard units was arranged hastily after Trump, who has been frustrated with his inability to get Congress or Mexico to pay for a border wall, said publicly this week that he wanted to use the military to patrol the border until the wall is built. On Thursday, he offered praise for Mexican officials for stopping "the caravan" of about 1,000 mostly Central American migrants from entering the United States. Spurred by media reports of the migrants, who are in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, Trump has blasted the caravan in recent days. Trump's tweet also celebrated the overall drop in illegal border crossings, but still called them "UNACCEPTABLE." The dual message underscores the challenge Trump faces in declaring an emergency at the border to secure Guard troops, in what critics say is a manufactured crisis. Trump said Thursday that he wants to send 2,000 and 4,000 National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border to help federal officials fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Trump's comments to reporters on Air Force One were his first estimate on guard levels he believes are needed for border protection. It would be a lower number of troops than the 6,400 National Guard members that former President George Bush sent to the border between 2006 and 2008. Trump said his administration is looking into the cost of sending the troops to the border and added "we'll probably keep them or a large portion of them until the wall is built." Earlier Thursday, Ronald Vitiello, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's acting deputy commissioner, cautioned against a rushed deployment. "We are going to do it as quickly as we can do it safely," Vitiello told Fox News Channel. He said that guard members would be placed in jobs that do not require law enforcement work, an apparent reference to undertaking patrols and making arrests. The National Guard in Texas expressed support, but said in a statement that deployment remained in "very early planning stages." The Republican governors of New Mexico and Arizona have also backed the deployment. It remained unclear Thursday how Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown would respond to Trump's call. With troops in all states, the National Guard has been called on by past presidents and governors to help secure U.S. borders, and the Texas contingent said it had "firsthand knowledge of the mission and operating area" that will allow it to move seamlessly into the new role. In 2010, President Barack Obama deployed National Guard troops to the border over fear of increasing drug-trafficking violence. Those troops worked on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking. They temporarily supplemented Border Patrol agents until Homeland Security could recruit and train additional officers and agents to work on the border. While some were armed for their own self-defense, they were not authorized to make arrests. During the last two border deployments, the guard's supporting role was criticized by some people who thought they should be more involved in enforcement. There are now more than 20,000 Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, and a number of other federal agencies also have a presence. ___ The Tribune News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.