Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the creation of the Texas Tactical Border Force in response to the expiration of the Title 42 public health order, which helped block migrants from entering the United States.
The force will be deployed to "hotspots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally," Abbott said at a press conference from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The Texas National Guard will also be deploying Black Hawk helicopters and C-130s, as well as specially trained national guard members.
Abbott cited "Joe Biden's reckless border policies" as the reason for the creation of the force. "President Biden is laying down a welcome mat to people across the entire world saying that the United States border is wide open, and it will lead to an incredible amount of people coming across the border illegally. President Biden's open border policies is going to cause a catastrophic disaster in the United States," Abbott said.
According to the Texas National Guard, 545 more service members have been activated to "reinforce the border mission in anticipation of the end of Title 42 immigration restrictions."
The additional forces will bolster the thousands of Texas National Guard service members already assisting local and state law enforcement agencies in securing the border, stopping smuggling drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and preventing, detecting, and interdicting transnational criminal behavior between the ports of entry.
The Texas Tactical Border Force is meant to bolster Operation Lone Star, which Abbott said has already turned back 37,000 people who already came across the border illegally, arrested about 27,000 dangerous criminals, including "cartel gang members" who are wanted for crimes like murder, and seized "enough fentanyl that would have been enough to kill every man, woman and child in the United States."
Abbott was joined by Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, Texas National Guard Adjunct Gen. Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw in making the announcement.
"We have expanded our capabilities to include boat teams that patrol hundreds of river miles, drones and helicopters that detect illicit activity from the air, and brush teams, security points and roving patrols that block and interdict illegal smuggling (drugs, weapons and people) into Texas," the Texas National Guard said in a statement.
"If you extend that out over the course of a year, it means it will be about 4,700,000 people coming across the border a year. That will mean there will be more people coming across the border illegally than there are residents of the massive city of Chicago," Abbott said.
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