By rssfeeds-admin Under the Title 32 program, up to 40 unarmed Arkansas National Guard personnel — including 27 Air National Guard Airmen and 13 Army National Guard Soldiers — will be deployed to assist with logistical and administrative duties. The guardsmen will not be involved in making arrests but will help transport detainees, process paperwork and provide clerical support to ICE agents.
Personnel will be stationed in Little Rock (18), Fort Smith (10), Fayetteville (10), and Camp Robinson (2) for command and control operations. The federal government will fully fund the mission.
“Violent, criminal illegal immigrants have no place in Arkansas,” Sanders said in a statement. “I signed the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act to hold these criminals accountable and I look forward to our guardsmen working with the Trump administration to enforce federal immigration law.”
The announcement comes following a May request from the Department of Homeland Security for National Guard support nationwide. The Department of Defense approved the request in July, contingent on approval from individual governors.
The decision has sparked mixed reactions from Arkansas residents and civil rights groups.
“I for one embrace the service,” said Levester Boyland III of Little Rock. “To have them here on the ground and doing what needs to be done to fulfill the obligation and what the governor says needs to be done — I think is an awesome thing.”
Boyland, who has lived in Arkansas for 30 years, acknowledged the plan would be controversial.
“It’s going to suck in a lot of ways, because a lot of Americans have made good alliances and friendships with people that are going to have to depart,” Boyland said. “But we’re prepared for it.”
Others expressed concern over the plan’s intent and implications.
“It seems like pretty overkill,” said Macon Brewer of North Little Rock. “I feel like not all, but some immigrants that aren’t supposed to be here help push the economy in different ways. I just don’t feel it’s necessary for the Arkansas National Guard to be out there.”
Brewer also questioned whether the funds and resources allocated to this mission could be better used elsewhere, such as in education or improved police enforcement. “I don’t think certain groups of people are more likely to be violent,” he said. “Wild things are done by all kinds of people — they should be punished, regardless of immigration status.”
The ACLU of Arkansas condemned the move, calling it a misuse of state military resources and a threat to civil liberties.
“This is an abuse of power that jeopardizes Arkansans’ rights and safety,” said Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas in a statement. “Governor Sanders is using our state’s servicemembers to advance a fear and race-based political agenda at the expense of civil liberties, Arkansas families and our most fundamental constitutional principles.”
Dickson also raised concerns about the legal jeopardy guardsmen could face and the potential for civil rights violations, despite their limited role in enforcement.
The deployment is part of a broader effort by Republican-led states and the Trump administration to strengthen immigration enforcement nationwide. Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency at the southern border. According to federal data, illegal border crossings fell to 8,300 in February 2025 — a 94% decrease from the same time last year.
In Arkansas, recent high-profile cases have heightened political attention on the issue. In January, Arkansas State Police arrested Luis Danielle Valdez-Reyes, an undocumented immigrant accused of assaulting a trooper. In another case, Elias Avila Bustillo, wanted in El Salvador for gang activity, was arrested in November, all according to the Governor’s press release on the deployment.
Sanders has previously deployed Arkansas National Guard troops to the southern border and has visited Texas to show support for border security efforts. Earlier this year, she signed the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act, which increases penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes, expands the state’s sanctuary city ban and mandates local law enforcement participation in federal immigration programs.
Despite the support from state leadership, debate continues locally over the National Guard’s role in immigration enforcement — and whether it will increase safety or deepen community divides.
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