Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has announced the state will send troops and highway patrol officers to the US-Mexico border to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star in protecting the nation’s borders.
Along with at least 200 National Guard members, Parson also declared he will be sending 22 Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers to assist in securing the border.
This announcement follows Parson’s visit to Eagle Pass, a small border town that has become a hot spot for people crossing illegally into the U.S.
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“About two weeks ago, I visited the Southern Border, and let me not mince words when I say it is a crisis,” Gov. Parson said in a news release.
Spectrum reports: After the visit, many of the GOP governors said they would send aid to Texas both financially and with boots on the ground. Parson’s offer is one of the larger deployments behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said he would send 1,000 Florida National Guardsmen and troops from the Florida State Guard.
Currently, there are roughly 250 Missouri National Guard members at the border from two units who are working under a federal deployment.
One of the major reasons Parson’s gave behind the deployment was the growing issue of fentanyl, with overdose deaths caused by fentanyl poisonings increasing across Missouri, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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“President Biden and the federal government must step up to stop illegal entry into our nation, to stop the free flow of fentanyl into our communities, and combat the rise of human trafficking, but we’ve waited long enough. Missouri will act by deploying our own resources to secure our nation’s border,” Parson said in the release.
The governor also requested that the Missouri General Assembly approve a $2.3 million budget for border security.
The state troopers will begin “active support” by March 1 and the Missouri National Guard members will begin their mission on March 10.
According to the release, the National Guardsmen will mainly assist in the construction of “physical barriers” along the border and help with security patrols, while state troopers will work to support traffic enforcement and crime prevention.
Some of the physical barriers that Texas officials have employed are installing razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande in a 30-acre park in Eagle Pass and creating a floating buoy barrier on the river. Both of these tactics are being reviewed in separate cases in federal court.
