The U.S. Border Patrol announced that 500 Texas National Guard soldiers have arrived in El Paso in support of border security missions.
The troops arrived on transport aircraft from the Texas Air National Guard as part of Operation Lone Star, the state’s border security effort, the Texas Military Department said on Sunday, Sept. 14, on a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The national guard soldiers will work on border security infrastructure and will be deputized under Title 8 to arrest persons who cross the border illegally, according to a quick-paced Border Patrol social media video announcing the troops’ arrival on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The latest deployment comes as the El Paso region is experiencing historically low number of migrants crossing the border. There is also continued criticism over the militarization of the border and the multibillion-dollar cost of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security programs.
For years, the Texas National Guard has been a part of a mobilization to shut down smuggling locations along the border in the El Paso-Juárez region. The U.S. military has also sent troops and Stryker armored vehicles to the border.
In February, Mexico deployed troops to Juárez and other cities along the U.S. border to crackdown on drug trafficking as part of the ongoing Operación Frontera Norte (Operation Northern Border).
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 500 Texas National Guard troops arrive in El Paso to help US Border Patrol
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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