MILES PARKS, HOST:
Law enforcement are still investigating the shooting of two National Guard members this week in Washington, D.C. And communities in West Virginia, where the two guard members are from, are in shock and mourning. U.S. Army specialist Sarah Beckstrom died on Thanksgiving, and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is in critical condition. I spoke with West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey today just after he visited Sergeant Wolfe.
Hi, Governor.
PATRICK MORRISEY: Hey. Sorry to be with you during these challenging times.
PARKS: No, we appreciate you making the time for us. So you just left the hospital where Sergeant Wolfe is being treated. What can you tell us about his condition?
MORRISEY: Andrew remains in critical condition. He's getting the best of care, and the parents have asked me to convey that they want as many people in West Virginia and across the country to pray for Andrew's recovery. And it's all they've asked for, and I think a lot of people are doing that to try to lift his spirit up and to give him strength.
PARKS: Have you had a chance to speak with Sarah Beckstrom's family?
MORRISEY: I have. I was at the hospital. I've been there a number of times and have talked to the mom and the dad and just - what an American hero that Sarah is. By all accounts, she was just beloved by her colleagues and the folks in the unit. Just - you just wouldn't believe the kind of stories about how much people respected her and how much life that she had, and how people really seemed to take a - just a great liking to her and to Andrew.
PARKS: Have you heard anything from other members of the National Guard in West Virginia in terms of how people are feeling right now?
MORRISEY: You know, on Thanksgiving, I spent some time with the guard over at the D.C. Armory, and we talked a bit about what they were going through. And I will say that the guard is obviously dealing with a horrific situation. But these are strong men and women, and they know that West Virginia is strong behind them, as well.
PARKS: So in response to this shooting, President Trump announced that he was deploying 500 more troops, National Guard troops, to Washington, D.C. Are any of those troops going to be from West Virginia?
MORRISEY: So as of right now, West Virginia has about 160 to 170 troops, and that's actually down from August when originally we had sent over 300 troops into D.C. So all of the troops that are there have come on a voluntary basis - the ones that are left. So right now, our focus is on our remaining troops and ensuring that they're handling things the right way, we're protecting them. And then as time goes on, we'll evaluate what happens in terms of the number of troops that will be in D.C.
PARKS: I mean, have you had any second thoughts about the initial decision to send troops to Washington, D.C., given this tragedy and given the fact that the vast majority of people in the district do not support the idea of federal troops on the streets?
MORRISEY: When you step back and you look at what people expect out of a government, any form of government, they want you to make sure that the people are protected. You're guarding the homeland. And that's what people are doing. But I will tell you, there's been such strong support for the guard and for the work that's been done, and the mission's been successful. So that's been my focus, and I'm proud of our troops.
PARKS: And what about the immigration response that President Trump has noted, that he wants to stop all migration from what he calls third-world countries. It seems to be a reference to these 19 countries that the administration deems are high risk. Is that the right response to this tragedy?
MORRISEY: I know that I was very appreciative of the president yesterday when he talked about really tightening up all the vetting procedures. And certainly, if there are countries of concern and there has to be a tight review and a pausing, that's very reasonable, as well. We have to make sure people know that immigration policies and what had happened in the past was so problematic, it's critical that we take all steps to avoid what just happened a couple of days ago.
PARKS: But, I mean, data shows time and time again, that the vast majority of immigrants in the U.S. do not commit violent crimes. Is there any concern that a policy like this, I guess, polarizes people or divides people and kind of demonizes entire communities as - you know, on the basis of the actions of one person?
MORRISEY: No, I mean, I think what it does is point out that a lot of the systems in the past, whether it's asylum and any of the policies where these folks were allowed to relocate - not only was there potentially inadequate vetting, but you have a lot of people that are introducing a different element into the U.S. And even if you talked about one violent predator out of every hundred or thousand or a million, we have to tighten that up. These are people that we don't want coming in.
Now, that doesn't speak to any ethnicity or any religion, but what it says is America has to protect the homeland, our country, and there has to be a much different system to make sure that we're reviewing all the millions who came in who were undocumented, and we're trying to close all the loopholes, because this is what happens when bad policies like that exist for so long. It's a natural consequence of it.
PARKS: Do you have a message, I guess, to the National Guard right now?
MORRISEY: I think we want to send a message to all the guardsmen in West Virginia and America that we have your back, and we're not going to let the same kind of ideology that drove the defund the police movement - we're not going to let that happen with respect to the guardsmen.
PARKS: West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
MORRISEY: Yes, thank you. Appreciate it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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