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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of additional National Guard resources to the US-Mexico border.

Some shit you should know before you read: While President Biden was in office, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star as a state-led initiative to combat what he described as the federal government’s failure to address the escalating border crisis. The operation deploys thousands of Texas National Guard troops and Department of Public Safety officers to the US-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration, combat drug smuggling, and enforce border security. To date, Operation Lone Star has resulted in the apprehension of over 530,800 illegal immigrants, more than 50,300 criminal arrests, and the seizure of over 622 million lethal doses of fentanyl. At the time, Governor Abbott said he began the operation to fill what he says were major gaps left by the Biden administration.

Soldiers and Airmen of the Texas National Guard reinforce barriers and improve areas of operation from El Paso, Texas, to Brownsville, Texas, in the wake of Title 42 expiring May 17, 2023. The Servicemembers’ presence on the border deters illegal immigration across the river into Texas. (Texas National Guard Photo by Operation Lone Star Public Affairs)

What’s going on now: In an announcement from the Governor’s office, Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the deployment of the Texas Tactical Border Force to the Rio Grande Valley, aimed at reinforcing border security and aiding federal immigration enforcement efforts. The deployment includes more than 400 additional soldiers, C-130 military transport planes, and Chinook helicopters, which are equipped to operate in challenging terrain. These resources are being mobilized from military bases in Fort Worth and Houston and will integrate with the thousands of Texas National Guard troops already stationed along the US-Mexico border under Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.

The primary mission of this newly deployed force is to work alongside US Border Patrol agents to intercept and prevent illegal immigration, enforce federal immigration laws, and strengthen overall security at the border. This deployment is part of a broader effort to address the ongoing border crisis, and it coincides with the Trump administration’s renewed focus on immigration enforcement.

In a statement, Governor Abbott said, “Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border. To support that mission, today, I deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force, comprised of hundreds of troops, to work side-by-side with U.S. Border Patrol agents to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country and to enforce immigration laws. For the past four years, Texas held the line against the Biden Administration’s border crisis and their refusal to protect Americans. Finally, we have a federal government working to end this crisis. I thank President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership on the southern border and look forward to working with him and his Administration to secure the border and make America safe again.”

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