AUSTIN, Texas — Following President Donald Trump’s initial executive actions aimed at enhancing border security, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday that he is deploying 400 additional National Guard troops along with more military resources to the Rio Grande Valley. This step is intended to assist federal authorities in reducing unauthorized immigration.

“Texas has a supportive partner in the White House for securing the Texas-Mexico border,” Abbott stated in a Monday announcement. “To aid this initiative, I have deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force, which consists of hundreds of troops, to collaborate with U.S. Border Patrol agents in preventing illegal immigration and enforcing our immigration laws.”

The enhanced operations are being conducted from military installations in Fort Worth and Houston, utilizing C-130 and Chinook helicopters. This tactical force will complement the thousands of Texas National Guard personnel already stationed as part of Abbott’s ongoing $11 billion Operation Lone Star, a military enforcement effort at the border that commenced shortly after Trump left the presidency following the 2020 election.

Abbott’s order follows U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent statements indicating that he has begun to act on Trump’s instructions for immediate measures at the border, which include military involvement.

“He has made it very clear,” Hegseth stated to the press in Washington. “There is an emergency at the southern border, and it is the responsibility of the Defense Department to protect the United States’ sovereign territory, viewing the cartels as foreign terrorist groups.”

Pentagon sending 1,500 troops to the southern border

Abbott’s decision coincides with the federal announcement of an increase in military personnel at the southern border amid Trump’s intensified focus on immigration enforcement.

The Pentagon is set to send up to 1,500 more active-duty troops to the southern U.S. border, as confirmed by the White House last week, following an executive order Trump signed soon after his inauguration.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed that this deployment will support Trump’s commitment to stricter border enforcement. This development follows several executive actions related to border security that Trump has undertaken since taking office, including declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Currently, around 2,500 members of the National Guard and Army Reserve are already present at the border, providing logistical and other support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to a Pentagon spokesperson. Troop deployments to the border were initiated by former President Joe Biden and similarly requested by Trump during his first term.

Unless the government invokes the Insurrection Act, active-duty personnel are restricted to support roles and cannot engage in apprehending individuals, following past protocols.

Texas seeks federal funding for border operations

Recent budget proposals from the Texas House and Senate, introduced last week and still in progress, aim to allocate approximately $6.5 billion towards additional state border security initiatives, marking a nearly 60% increase from the expenditures on Operation Lone Star since its inception in 2021. Last week, Abbott urged congressional leaders to reimburse Texas for the funds spent on border security under the Biden administration.

Despite Abbott’s request, no action has been taken in Washington yet, although Texas’ senior U.S. senator has expressed support for securing federal reimbursement for the state’s efforts.

“Texas taxpayers, who have been funding Operation Lone Star for four years, must not be overlooked. I will work to ensure that funds are included in Congress’s reconciliation legislation to repay Texas for its significant efforts to uphold border security due to the Biden administration’s neglect and failure to act,” Senator John Cornyn stated on Thursday.

Recently, after reaching a peak in December 2023, encounters with migrants at the border have significantly dropped to a four-year low in 2024, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Contributors: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Tom Vanden Brook, Davis Winkie, and Joey Garrison, YSL News