Article Summary –
Governor Greg Gianforte has announced that Montana will send ten National Guard troops to the southern US border to assist with police cross-border drug trafficking. The troops, who volunteered for active duty, will be in Texas from April 8 until May 12 as part of Operation Lone Star. Criticising the Biden administration’s border policy, Gianforte said Republican governors are stepping up with the southern border “completely exposed and overrun by drug cartels” under President Biden.
Montana Deploys National Guard to Help Texas Police Control Drug Trafficking
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has announced the deployment of a small contingent of the state’s National Guard to aid Texas authorities with cross-border drug trafficking control. This action represents an endeavor to counterbalance the perceived inactivity of the federal government.
As revealed by Governor Gianforte, 10 Montana National Guardsmen volunteered for active duty as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star. They are set to land in Texas on April 8 and return to Montana on May 12.
The Montana National Guard’s Adjutant General, J. Peter Hronek, likened this deployment to disaster response work, such as responding to hurricanes, floods, and fires, noting that the Guard is prepared to support requests for help from other states.
Due to safety and security measures, the deployment’s exact location will remain undisclosed until its conclusion. The Guardsmen will primarily assist with vehicle maintenance and repair, according to Kaitlin Price, Gianforte’s spokesperson.
Price also revealed that the deployment’s estimated cost is $227,000, a sum allocated from a section of the state budget reserved for disaster response.
Gianforte and other Republican governors have recently criticized President Joe Biden’s border policy. They claim that the southern border has been left vulnerable, allowing drug cartels to smuggle harmful drugs and crime into the country. In response, Republican governors are taking action to protect the border.
Gianforte recently visited the U.S.-Mexico border alongside 13 other Republican governors. The group traveled to Eagle Pass, a Texas border town that has become a legal battleground between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over immigration policies.
Multiple Republican governors, including those of Arkansas, Indiana, and Tennessee, have already deployed National Guard units to the Texas-Mexico border in support of Texas’ “right to self-defense.”
Conversely, Biden has criticized Republicans for not supporting a significant federal border security bill. This bill, which initially garnered bipartisan approval, proposed $20 billion in emergency border security funding and would have given the president more control over border traffic.
In line with the deployment, Gianforte signed a disaster declaration, formally recognizing the situation at the Texas border as an emergency warranting mutual aid. The declaration cites increasing volumes of seized fentanyl in Montana and the influx of illegal migrants and drugs as constituting an invasion.
According to a dashboard maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, federal officials processed about 190,000 “encounters” at the southern border in February, a significant increase from 157,000 in February 2023 and 101,000 in 2021.
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