GOP-led states continue pitching in to Texas' Operation Lone Star to crack down on immigration

Conservative officials across the country vowed earlier this year to deploy National Guard Troops to help reverse what they called "President Joe Biden's border crisis." Overall, more than a dozen states have dug into their own budgets to send more personnel to the area, a new report shows.

The report comes from States Newsroom outlets across the country, which tackled state deployments and expenses so far this year as part of a collaboration with The Texas Tribune and Stateline to get a sense of what became of these promises, how many people were sent to Texas by governors, and at what cost.

The news organizations found that states have chipped in anywhere from five to 200 troops for deployment that lasted between a couple of weeks and months. The funding generally comes from state budgets or state emergency funds, the outlet added.

For instance, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem paid for several National Guard border deployments in recent years with money from the state's Emergency and Disaster Fund despite a law that defines emergencies and disasters as events "in any part of the state," according to South Dakota Searchlight.

Idaho is another state sending resources to combat what Republican officials across the country have defined as a migrant invasion.

The state's Governor, Brad Little, sent 10 state police officers in April for a three-week assignment, which cost $205,665. One of the state police troopers said the majority of the time was spent along the border wall assisting the Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Guard with traffic stops and arrests, then turning people over to the Border Patrol.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on his end, announced in February that he would send over 1,000 National Guard troops to Texas, although it's unclear how many ended to going.

These investments, which are just a few of the examples of the 12 conservative-led states that have pitched in to reverse migrant crossings in the U.S.-Mexico border.

States' contributions are part of a massive effort by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to control Texas' 1,250-mile border with Mexico through Operation Lone Star.

Critics have highlighted that border crossings have decreased drastically over the year, suggesting that some of the investment is more about political imagery— opportunities to take photos near personnel in uniform on the border— than an actual need for help from Texas, the outlet said.

Since its launch in 2021, Operation Lone Star has cost the state around $11 billion. It has involved the deployment of National Guard troops along the border, making soldiers patrol the riverbank with drone and guns, installed countless coils of razor wire and at least once spied on migrants using WhatsApp, according to a recount by the Kansas Reflector.

"You just never wanna see your community change into a militarized zone," said Jessie Fuentes, a retired school teacher who now runs a business giving kayak and canoe tours and lessons on the Rio Grande. "It makes you feel hopeless."

Others feel more content with the operation, arguing that every state is now a border state due to the increased migration trends of the last couple of years, and supporting the National Guard residing in their communities.

"They mean well, they want to do a good job and we wish them the best of luck," Benny Rodriguez, an 80-year-old man who runs a grocery store in Eagle Pass, said. "All we want is for Eagle Pass to continue striving, providing jobs and for everybody to make a good living."