About 250 Texas National Guard troops are heading for the southern border with Mexico, as part of President Trump’s plan to secure the area from drug traffickers and illegal immigrants until his promised border wall can be built.
Defense Secretary James Mattis on Friday authorized funding for up to 4,000 troops to deploy to the southern border through the end of September.
Troops are under the command and control of the governor. Arizona issued a similar call up Friday, planning to send 150 National Guard troops to their border.
There has been no word from New Mexico on their plans. California recently passed a Sanctuary State law, refusing cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Texas Guard is expected to be in position – along with surveillance equipment, vehicles, and aircraft – within the next 72 hours. Their mission will involve support functions, because they have no police power. That authority still rests with US Customs and Border Protection.
The deployment is not without precedent. President George W. Bush sent 6,000 guard troops to the border in 2006, and President Obama did likewise in 2010 with 1,200 troops. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is now President Trump’s Energy Secretary, also sent 1,000 Guard troops to the border in 2014 in response to a surge in illegal immigrant traffic.