LUBBOCK, Texas — On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the deployment of 1,000 Texas National Guard Troops to assist in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with the humanitarian crisis.
In the past three weeks, there have been more than 45,000 individuals from 52 different countries that have been apprehended for illegally crossing the border into Texas, according to a press release.
“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 Governor 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.”
In the coming weeks, DHS will establish holding facilities in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso for single adults illegally entering the country.
The Texas National Guard troops will provide supplemental staffing support at the temporary holding facilities as well as supplemental enforcement support at ports of entry.
The combined efforts will alleviate the humanitarian crisis on our border as well as increase security for Texas communities.
“The massive increase in illegal immigration — on pace to exceed a million people this year— has been an emergency for months and Texas must continue to do everything we can to help secure our border, including deploying these additional troops,” said Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
The federal government will pay for 100 percent of the costs associated with this short-term mission.
Since Governor Abbott took office, the State of Texas has dedicated nearly $3 billion to confront the challenges that exist along our southern border.
