Governor Greg Abbott has deployed more than 400 National Guard troops from Texas to the Rio Grande Valley to help prevent illegal immigration into the United States.
Over 400 National Guard soldiers from Texas will work alongside U.S. Border Patrol agents to stop illegal immigration, according to CBS News. Some troops left the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth on the morning of January 27, while others came from bases in Houston.
All of them are part of the Texas Tactical Border Force. Governor Greg Abbott had initially deployed this force in May 2023 to address the border crisis.
Along with the additional troops, Texas is sending C-130 planes and Chinook helicopters to the border. Last weekend, the Pentagon sent 1,500 military personnel to El Paso and San Diego.
“Finally, we have a federal government working to end this crisis. Texas now has a partner in the White House, working together to protect the Texas-Mexico border,” Abbott said in a statement.
Republican Senator Bob Hall supports the move, while Democratic Representative Trey Martinez Fischer believes it is unnecessary.
“Let the president do his job, and let the governor do his job, which is to address state issues, not border issues,” said Martinez Fischer. He has introduced a bill calling for an audit of the governor’s Lone Star Operation, which has cost over $11 billion to enhance border security efforts.
