Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will deploy National Guard troops to the southern border, his office announced Wednesday.
The Virginia governor will send 100 troops to the Texas-Mexico border to address the surge in illegal immigration and drug smuggling that he says is killing five Virginians each day, according to the announcement. Youngkin joins Florida, Tennessee and Nebraska in helping Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott secure the southern border. (RELATED: Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz To Retire)
“The ongoing border crisis facing our nation has turned every state into a border state,” Youngkin said in the announcement. “As leadership solutions at the federal level fall short, states are answering the call to secure our southern border, reduce the flow of fentanyl, combat human trafficking and address the humanitarian crisis.”
EL PASO, TEXAS – MAY 12: A U.S. Border Patrol agent body searches immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border on May 12, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. The U.S. Covid-era Title 42 immigration policy ended the night before, and migrants entering the system now are anxious over how the change may affect their asylum claims. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Republican governors recently met with Abbott, who requested their support at the Texas-Mexico border, where federal authorities recorded more than 2.3 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2022.
“Following a briefing from Governor Abbott last week, Virginia is joining other states to deliver on his request for additional assistance. Given the intensive resource demands on Texas, the dangers posed by the fentanyl crisis, and impact of the border crisis on criminal activity to the Commonwealth, Virginia will do its part to assist the State of Texas’ efforts with the coordinated deployment of Virginia National Guard soldiers to assist in key aspects of their mission,” Youngkin said.
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