Ark. Gov Sanders deploys National Guard to southern border to help Texas tackle border crisis
Arkansas governor's move is one of a number of deployments by GOP-led states
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday directed the Arkansas National Guard to deploy troops to help Texas tackle the ongoing crisis at the southern border -- the latest GOP-led state to respond to a request for aid from the southern state.
The Arkansas National Guard is sending approximately 80 guardsmen to support efforts led by the Texas National Guard in July.
"President Biden’s failure at our southern border puts the entire country at risk. States must now step up where the President has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking," Sanders said in a statement "Arkansans have always been quick to step up when others are in need – this time is no different."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Adjutant General for the Arkansas National Guard, said in a statement that the state’s National Guard is "uniquely qualified" to help with border control operations.
SOUTH CAROLINA, WEST VIRGINIA JOIN STATES SENDING NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO SOUTHERN BORDER
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday directed the deployment of approximately 80 National Guard troops to the southern border. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"Our Soldiers and Airmen have been providing these same capabilities to combatant commanders and local law enforcement agencies for years," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The troops will help Texas with surveillance and reconnaisance abilities, providing increased detection and tracking, according to the governor’s office. Troops have previously been deployed by the state in 2006 and 2008 to aid Border Patrol.
The latest announcement comes a day after the states of Virginia, South Carolina and West Virginia made pledges of manpower to the southern border.
Florida, Mississippi, Iowa, Tennessee and Nebraska have also announced deployments of personnel and resources to help Texas. The deployments come after the ending of the Title 42 public health order, which was expected to coincide with a surge in migration at the border. While numbers hit historic levels in the days leading up to the ending of the order, they have since decreased -- although officials have cautioned against believing they will remain that way.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican states have placed the blame for the ongoing migrant crisis, now into its third year, on the Biden administration’s policies -- which they say have fueled the crisis by depleting interior enforcement and expanding the use of "catch-and-release" at the border.
The administration has pushed back, blaming Republicans in Congress for failing to pass immigration reform to fix a "broken" system and to provide additional funding for operations at the border. Meanwhile, Republican-led states have challenged a number of Biden administration immigration border policies in the courts -- including a "parole with conditions" policy and a recent asylum rule.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The administration itself deployed over 1,500 troops to the border ahead of the end of Title 42 as part of a broader surge in resources at the border.
Texas has welcomed the GOP-led assistance, having itself initiated a number of deployments and resource surges under Operation Lone Star -- as well as controversially busing migrants to "sanctuary cities" deeper in the U.S. interior.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Biden abandoned his duty to uphold the national security of the United States," Abbott said this week. "Working together, we will provide the security Americans deserve."
The Biden administration has been cautious about such efforts, however, warning that such moves by the governors of Texas and Florida have been for "purely political reasons."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are confident in our men and women on the front lines, ability to conduct their border operations in a safe, humane and secure manner. And we again call on the governors to make sure that any steps they take are done in coordination with our federal personnel," Department of Homeland Security official Blas Nunez-Neto told reporters earlier this month.
Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.