Maj. Gen. John Nichols: National Guard troops will undergo training, Spanish classes before being sent to border

Maj. Gen. John Nichols: National Guard troops will undergo training, Spanish classes before being sent to border
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

A Tuesday hearing in Texas about Republican Gov. Rick Perry's plan to send 1,000 National Guard troops to the border sparked partisan debate about the plan's effectiveness. At the hearing, Maj. Gen. John Nichols also provided new details about the National Guard's border plans.

Nichols, who serves as the Guard's leader, said at the hearing that the troops sent to the border will undergo training for a week and a half to two weeks, including taking Spanish classes, before arriving at the border. Nichols, along with Steve McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), said he did not support Perry's deployment of the National Guard, the Houston Chronicle reports.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.