Texas Governor Sends 400 Additional National Guard Troops to the Border
Thousands of National Guard and U.S. military personnel are currently stationed at the southern border following their deployment.
On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Texas will be sending 400 members of the state’s National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The governor has deployed Texas National Guard members to the border as part of his Operation Lone Star initiative, designed to address illegal immigration. Approximately 4,100 National Guard troops from Texas are now engaged in this border mission.
“Texas has a partner in the White House we can collaborate with to secure the Texas-Mexico border,” the Republican governor expressed in a written statement.
Throughout former President Joe Biden’s administration, Abbott frequently clashed with the federal government regarding illegal immigration policies. At one point last year, he ordered the Texas National Guard to prevent federal officials from entering the Eagle Pass border crossing area.
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This deployment includes two C-130 Hercules aircraft, two C-17 Globemaster planes, and UH-72 Lakota helicopters as part of the efforts to combat illegal immigration and enhance border security, according to the Pentagon.
It remains uncertain whether any of the newly deployed aircraft were involved in the deportation of illegal immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent days, amid a wider crackdown on illegal immigration that began with President Donald Trump’s administration.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on social media that deportation flights had commenced, posting a photo that appeared to show men in handcuffs being escorted toward a U.S. military aircraft.
Over the weekend, tensions escalated between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding the military aircraft utilized to return Colombian nationals to their homeland. Early Sunday, Petro indicated he would halt such flights, leading Trump to threaten significant tariffs and other penalties until the Colombian government consented to accept the deportees.
On Truth Social, Trump announced intentions to impose visa restrictions, 25 percent tariffs on all Colombian imports, which could rise to 50 percent after one week, among other retaliatory actions prompted by Petro’s decision. In response, Petro declared Colombian tariffs on U.S. imports.
Later that same day, Leavitt stated that the “Government of Colombia has agreed to meet all of President Trump’s conditions, including the unconditional acceptance of all illegal Colombian nationals deported from the United States, including those transported on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
The Colombian government announced later on Sunday that it had “resolved” the disagreement with the Trump administration, with Petro reposting the White House statement on X.
“We have resolved the conflict with the United States government,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.
“We will continue to accept Colombians returning as deportees, ensuring they are treated with dignity as citizens with rights.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
