TUCSON— Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement after the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General formally announced the review of its investigation into President Trump’s troop deployment at the Southern Border. In September 2019, Rep. Grijalva led 33 Members of Congress in a letter to the Inspector General calling for an investigation into the President’s decision which the OIG began in December 2019.

“While we’ve condemned other border militarizations around the world, one continues happening right here in our own country under the failed policies of President Trump. Make no mistake, this report does not address many of the questions and concerns we had posed in our initial request. Instead, I’m afraid it attempts to absolve Trump and the Department of Defense of any wrongdoing or responsibility in using expensive troop deployments within our domestic borders. The border residents that I represent in Southern Arizona would rather have our tax dollars spent on access to healthcare, education and the long-term economic recovery we will need following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The continued presence of military personnel and equipment in the borderlands is unwarranted. Congress has an obligation to hold this Administration accountable for their extreme immigration policies and misuse of our Department of Defense resources. It is unacceptable to deploy our servicemembers away from their families for a mission that only blurs the lines between domestic law enforcement and military affairs. We cannot continue to appropriate funds that we know will be usurped by Trump to fulfill his ridiculous campaign promise and cause more devastation to border communities.”

###