Sen. Lamar Alexander has been pounded by his Republican primary opponents for being soft on illegal immigration. Credit: CSPAN

As Congress considers what to do about the flood of unaccompanied minors flooding across the Mexican border, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander is calling to send guardsmen. At a hearing in Washington on Thursday, he advocated dispatching soldiers to parts of the border where there is no wall or fence.

“If the President were to use the National Guard for this 300-plus miles of the border, that would send a clear signal in those countries to those parents or those smugglers or whoever is responsible for this that these children are coming home and the border is closed to them.”

Alexander pointed out that President Obama sent 1,200 troops to the border in 2010 and 2011. President Bush activated 30,000 members of the Guard from 2006 to 2008, though thousands more Border Patrol agents have been hired since that time.

Alexander called for a “serious plan” from the President. But some of his speaking up may be politically motivated.

The two-term senator has been more vocal in recent days as his two primary challengers run campaign ads painting him as soft on illegal immigration.