ATLANTA, GA — Additional Georgia National Guard troops are being deployed to the nation’s southern border in Texas to help hinder “the free flow of illegal migrants” into the U.S., Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday.
It is unknown how many guardsmen will be deployed, but Kemp’s office said the expected timeline for deployment is in the spring. The troops will be skilled in engineering, mechanical and general purpose skills.
“While deployed, they will assist in the construction of a forward command post on the Texas border with Mexico. Georgia Guard leadership will work closely with Texas Guard leadership in the coming weeks to tailor the mission in accordance with Texas’ official request for assistance and the evolving conditions on the border,” Kemp’s office said.
The deployment, which will be known as Operation Lone Star, comes after Kemp traveled to the border in early February. He called the situation at the border “a crisis.”
Georgia guardsmen have spent the longest period of time at the border compared to any other state, Kemp’s office said. He first deployed the troops in 2019 to the border.
The state is also now part of the American Governors’ Border Strike Task Force. The effort partners together multiple states to disassemble “criminal organizations by increasing communication, improving intelligence, investing in analysis, combating human smuggling and stopping the flow of drugs into states,” Kemp’s office said.
Suggesting he is keeping the safety of Americans in mind, Kemp said Georgia fully supports Texas in its attempt to secure the southern border and will offer more resources to Texas, if necessary.
Kemp’s office claims at least 8.5 million illegal immigrants have come into the U.S. in recent years.
Texas guardsmen have seized more than 56,000 pounds of meth, at least 458 million doses of fentanyl and more than $51 million in currency, his office said.
It is unknown how long the Georgia troops will be deployed.
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