Tennessee’s governor Saturday announced that more Tennessee National Guard members will be deployed to the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
“America continues to face an unprecedented border crisis, and people across the nation are experiencing the devastating consequences of rising crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking,” said Gov. Bill Lee (R) in a press release. “Governors are working together, taking immediate action to do what the federal government won’t do, and that is secure our border. I commend Tennessee’s National Guard troops for answering this important call to service and providing critical support.”
Lee also announced the move on X.
“This weekend, I met with TN National Guard troops who will soon deploy to provide critical support to TX & [Gov. Greg Abbott (R)] along the Southern border,” he said on that platform. “Our guard members are the face of public service, & I commend their work to restore security to our country.”
This wave of deployments will consist of 50 guardsmen who volunteered to join what is being called “Operation Lone Star.”
According to the governor’s office, he is coordinating with the state of Texas to send more support as needed.
At the beginning of February, Lee joined Abbott and 12 other Republican governors in Eagle Pass, Texas, the epicenter of the border crisis.
There, he spoke at a press conference with his counterparts.
“Republican governors have been sounding the alarm for a long time; the open border experiment has catastrophically failed America, and people across the nation are experiencing the devastating consequences of rising crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking,” he said. “This crisis will only become worse if immediate action isn’t taken. That’s why governors are working together to do what the federal government won’t do, and that is to secure our Nation’s southern border.”
In October, Lee sent more than 125 guardsmen from the Tennessee National Guard’s 1175th Transportation Company to Texas on the first leg of a year-long deployment to the border.
“As Americans continue to call on the federal government to secure our Southern border & restore public safety, Tennessee will always step up & serve,” he said at the time. “I’ve once again authorized the Tennessee National Guard to boost security at our border, & I commend these troops for their critical support.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee” by Tennessee Office of the Governor.
