The State of Texas will deploy 1,000 troops from the National Guard to its southern border with Mexico, Gov. Greg Abbott announced at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“The crisis at our southern border is unlike anything we’ve witnessed before and has put an enormous strain on the existing resources we have in place,” said Gov. Abbott. “With the deployment of these troops, we are taking action to confront the crisis at the border and keep potentially dangerous criminals and illegal activity out of our communities. By working together with our federal partners, we will continue to pursue a strong and comprehensive strategy to secure our border.”
According to information provided by Abbott, over the past three weeks alone, over 45,000 individuals from 52 different countries have been apprehended while illegally crossing the border into Texas.
Abbott was joined by Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen during his announcement, who both said they supported Abbott’s actions 100 percent, blaming the U.S. Congress for not doing more to help with the crisis.
“It is time for Congress to quit talking, to quit arguing, to keep fighting, and quit denying that this is a crisis,” said Patrick. “We have an unprecedented number of people coming in to Texas—numbers that we have never seen before from countries we have never seen before. It has to end, it’s not sustainable.”
“Today, the governor is taking action which we 100 percent support and agree with and is yet another step for Texans to try and secure the border, while the federal government and our Congress doesn’t act,” said Bonnen.
“Congress is a group of reprobates for not addressing the crisis on our border,” added Abbott.
The National Guard troops will be in addition to a surge of Department of Public Safety officers that have been on patrol near the border since 2015. The troops will assist U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers in their duties at both points of crossing as well as temporary detention centers.
Abbott assured Texans that they will not bear the cost, however, stating that the federal government will “pay for 100 percent of the costs associated with this short-term mission.”
The month of April saw the single highest number of illegal border crossings, and the nation has experienced over half a million illegal entries in 2019 alone.