Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the authorization for Texas National Guard troops to make arrests for violations of Texas law. The governor is also “surging” additional guardsmen to the border region. Abbott indicated troopers will be working with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and local law enforcement authorities at the border to increase security.
Governor Abbott says the guardsmen are performing other duties in addition to the newly granted arrest authority. According to the governor, the guard troops are helping with the early stages of constructing border barriers and a border wall.
“The Texas National Guard is playing an unprecedented role to secure the border because of the unprecedented refusal of the federal government to fulfill its obligations under federal law,” Abbott said in a written statement.
Historically, National Guard troops have assisted authorities along the border in support functions. The troops have also been used as a deterrent to illegal crossings. Additionally, guardsmen sometimes serve as observers, reporting crossings to the Border Patrol. The authority granted by Governor Abbott will allow them unilateral authority to make an arrest for violations of state law.
Governor Abbott named border security funding as a priority for the current legislative Special Session. In a call with border sheriffs and county judges on Saturday, the Governor urged border sheriffs and county judges to make their voices heard to the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing this week on the urgent need for this additional funding to secure the border. The proposed appropriation will also fund the deployment of more National Guard troops to the border.
The Texas governor launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, the operation redirected more than 1,000 Texas Highway Patrol troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers to border cities to help secure the border. Since then, more than 4,600 arrests have been made by the Texas Department of Public Safety for charges including criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
The operation also led to the confiscation of drugs and illegal firearms — including more than 700 pounds of cocaine, 127 pounds of fentanyl, more than 8,500 pounds of cannabis, and more than 270 firearms to date.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol arrested nearly 200,000 migrants in July 2021. Nearly 75% of those arrested crossed the Texas-Mexico border, Breitbart Texas reported.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.