U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and his national guard unit are deployed to U.S.-Mexico border

Aamer Madhani
Updated
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks to the crowd at Starved Rock State Park Lodge and Convention Center on March 20, 2012, in Utica, Ill.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks to the crowd at Starved Rock State Park Lodge and Convention Center on March 20, 2012, in Utica, Ill.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who is also a pilot with the Air National Guard, has been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border along with his unit, the Illinois congressman’s office said Tuesday.

The Republican congressman from Illinois was deployed to the southern border earlier this week, according to his spokeswoman Maura Gillespie.

Kinzinger, 40, who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, served in the Air Force prior to being elected in 2010.

“Earlier this week, Congressman Kinzinger was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border with his Air National Guard unit, and is serving on active duty in his capacity as Lieutenant Colonel,” Gillespie said in a statement. “As with his previous border missions while elected, the Congressman will stay within the United States."

More: Democrats grill Trump administration officials over family separation policy on the border

More: Dueling rallies – for and against Trump – roil through El Paso during president's visit

It’s unclear exactly where Kinzinger, 40, was deployed, but troops from dozens of units around the country have been dispatched to the border as part of President Trump’s push to beef up surveillance and repair concertina wiring along the border.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Kinzinger served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Kinzinger's offices in Washington and Illinois will remain open while he is deployed, Gillespie said.

With his deployment, Kinzinger will miss Thursday's scheduled vote on a spending package that includes $1.375 billion in funding for 55 miles of fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico. That amount is far less than the $5.7 billion Trump demanded

Leaders of both parties have urged their colleagues to back the bill. Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to approve a spending bill or face another government shutdown.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and his national guard unit are deployed to U.S.-Mexico border