On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard, deployed to Illinois in October to assist with Operation Midway Blitz, has been directed by Immigration Enforcement Forces to return to Texas by Thanksgiving.
As reported by Nexstar, Governor Abbott stated that the troops, initially sent by President Trump, are expected to return this week. This information was shared during an election event in San Marcos on Saturday, according to KXAN.
“They’ve already been ordered to return home by Thanksgiving,” the governor stated.
During the weekend, the Department of the Army also instructed Texas and California National Guardsmen to return home, as noted by Breitbart Texas. Abbott’s announcement clarified the timeline for the troops’ return to Texas.
Around 200 Texas National Guard members had been sent to Chicago in response to violent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and facilities. Abbott had permitted the federal government to deploy the National Guard, which had been monitoring the southern border amid the ongoing border crisis under the Biden administration, as reported by Randy Clark of Texas.
The troops were deployed under Title 10 authority from the president, a situation that was recently challenged by U.S. District Judge April Perry. The U.S. Supreme Court has requested further clarification regarding the matter.
Military officials indicated that the deployed soldiers did not engage in any “forward-facing” operations, remaining mostly behind the scenes.
Reports state that the return order aligns with “Title 10 footprint rightization,” according to ABC News. Legal rulings have restricted the soldiers from actively participating in federal law enforcement or the protection of facilities.
This legal challenge arose after the Texas and California National Guards were sent to Illinois and Oregon, respectively. A federal judge determined that while the military should not be fully deployed, they could remain in each state while the lawsuit proceeds. This decision has now been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
