California Governor Gavin Newsom has come under fire for declaring that his state has doubled the number of National Guard troops on the southern US border, a claim that some say is a complete fabrication.
Newsom posted a video to social media on Thursday from the San Ysidro Port of Entry in which he said his team was meeting with National Guard and Customs and Border Patrol agents.
“In California, we have 390 National Guard troops working primarily around fentanyl. At the end of the day, they need more resources.” He said.
“Everyone needs more resources, but Republicans have consistently blocked resources from being provided to support the men and women who are working so hard to address border-related issues, not just here on the border but in California and across this country,” Newsom continued.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Oakland, California on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
In a caption for the video, Governor Newsom claimed that California had doubled the number of National Guard troops at the border.
Outkick host Tomi Lahren said on “Fox & Friends First” that Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin and Fox News correspondent Matt Finn “scathingly criticized” Newsom’s claims and “dismissed them.”
Melgin said Thursday he did not see any California National Guard personnel in Jacumba, where large numbers of adult men from around the world illegally cross the border. He said the Border Patrol Overwhelmed by immigrants I wandered the highway and called a Lyft while waiting to be picked up.
“I sent the following post from Governor Newsom to the BP agent in Jacumba and he laughed and told me that California is “not doing anything” to crack down on illegal border crossings. The soldiers they see there are National Guardsmen from other states working with DHS under Title 10 orders,” Melgin said.
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Cars wait to enter the United States from Tijuana, Mexico, through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
“The Governor stated that the California National Guard is assisting with drug enforcement at the port of entry, not in the mass border crossing hotspot of Jacumba. If the Governor’s office has imagery of the California National Guard assisting Border Patrol in Jacumba, we would be happy to update you,” he added.
Finn also voiced his opinion. Regarding Newsom’s video.
“Governor Newsom, we are currently at the Jacumba, California border. All day long we see migrants crossing the border illegally. From China, Iran, Yemen, Nepal. We have not seen a single California National Guard in the past week,” he posted on X.
Lahren responded to the tweet exchange, saying Newsom had engaged in a “vanity stunt” at the border and told “bold lies” to his constituents and the American people.
“It really hurts because it’s just so typical Gavin Newsom,” she said.
A spokesperson for Governor Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital, “The Governor’s words speak for themselves.”
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