In response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for border aid, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has deployed National Guard troops to assist with the worsening Texas-Mexico border crisis.
Youngkin is the latest in the ever-growing list of GOP governors sending troops to the Texas-Mexico border in response to Abbott’s request in May.
“In the federal government’s absence, we, as Governors, must band together to combat President Biden’s ongoing border crisis and ensure the safety and security that all Americans deserve,” Abbott said in his request.
When the request was first sent, Florida and Idaho Govs. Ron DeSantis and Brad Little were the first to announce their plans and send aid. Just days later, Govs. Jim Justice of West Virginia, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, and Youngkin announced their planned aid.
Youngkin didn’t send his support troops to Texas until this month.
The Republican governor of Virginia visited his troops at Fort Barfoot on July 6, during their training for the mission.
During his visit, he gave a speech to the troops, saying he was “inspired” by them.
“I am inspired by all of you. I can’t put it any other way,” said Youngkin. “On behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your commitment, thank you for your love of nation, and thank you for your love of the commonwealth.”
He then thanked the families of the National Guardsmen and acknowledged their sacrifice of time with their families.
“I want to thank you for the sacrifice you are undertaking as we head into an extremely important mission,” Youngkin said.
The support team assembled by Youngkin and the Virginia National Guard includes 100 soldiers and airmen, with another 10 personnel as the task force leadership team and support element.
Youngkin announced his plans to support any other state that asks, saying all they need to do is “send up a flare.” This was just one of those occasions.
“Someone called for help, and we are going to go help them,” he said. “That’s what this is all about. I firmly believe this is a worthy mission.”
Chris Russo, president of Texans or Strong Borders, told Texas Scorecard, “The effectiveness of deploying National Guard troops to the border is totally contingent on the mission at hand. When Joe Biden deployed the National Guard, it was to facilitate and aid the invasion at our border by increasing processing capacity, not enforcement.”
“Texas Border Czar Mike Banks has been the one official most responsible for substantive enforcement efforts, so we hope that these troops from Virginia are tasked with assisting him with the construction of new border barriers and actively repelling illegal border crossings,” Russo continued. “If not, this is simply political theater. Governor Abbott must do more—starting with a special session to address all aspects of border security, including the pull factors that draw illegal aliens to our state.”
Virginia’s troops departed for Texas on July 8. Their border security mission is set to last for 30 days.
Texas Scorecard contacted Youngkin’s office to request a statement regarding the deployment. As of publication, we have not received a response.
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