Texas will send 400 soldiers from its Tactical Border Force to the southern border to aid with efforts to enforce the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday.
The forces will be deployed to the Rio Grande Valley to "coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol under the Trump Administration to secure the border," Abbott's office said in a press release. Forces will be aided by C-130 planes and Chinook helicopters.
"Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border," reads another passage of the document. "To support that mission, today, I deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force, comprised of hundreds of troops, to work side-by-side with U.S. Border Patrol agents to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country and to enforce immigration laws."
The soldiers are set to join the "thousands" of Texas National Guard soldiers. The Trump administration is also deploying active duty troops to the border to help with the efforts. The government is onsidering a significant escalation of military presence along the U.S.-Mexico border, potentially deploying as many as 10,000 soldiers.
President Donald Trump's executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border includes directing the Department of Defense (DoD) to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in taking full operational control of the border, including building barriers to block migrants and assisting CBP with its mission. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed last week the first deployment of 1,500 active duty troops to the border, who will join the some 2,200 National Guard and Reserve forces already there.
During a press briefing, a senior U.S. military official said the initial 1,500-troop deployment would consist of 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines, along with helicopters, to assist CBP in building border barriers and managing unlawful crossings. The official clarified that the military would not engage in law enforcement activities.
The Department of Defense also announced plans to provide military airlift support for deportation flights. DHS will provide in-flight law enforcement to oversee these deportations.
The deployment will likely be followed by further action, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran told The Latin Times last week. "I see the deployment of thousands of additional active duty US troops to the southern border as an escalation that fits the administration's stance on border security," Eric Brown, a 25-year U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, said.
"I expect further actions from the administration may include tighter cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and wider use of surveillance or technology. This buildup suggests a belief that the border requires a heavier military presence than we've seen in decades," he added.
Brown said he believes the beefed up presence will also come with "more unmanned aerial systems (drones) for continuous monitoring, sensor arrays that track movement near crossing points, and advanced imaging tools, like thermal cameras."
"We might also see integrated data-sharing platforms that link federal agencies and local law enforcement, allowing them to spot illegal crossings or contraband in real time. This expanded surveillance network could involve ground-based radar, facial recognition at busy checkpoints, and automated systems that flag suspicious patterns of activity."
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