Louisiana plans to send 150 National Guard troops to the southern Texas border as Congress fails to secure a border deal.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced the move Thursday in Baton Rouge, adding himself to a growing list of Republican governors offering resource assistance to Texas as the Biden administration and Texas tussle over border security. Ta.
“Because the federal government won’t act, because the president won’t do his job, because Congress refuses to implement a solid immigration plan that protects this country and allows people to come in and out of this country as usual.”First If we do that, the state will act,” Landry said.
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Texas Army National Guard troops gather near the southern border. (Texas Department of Military Affairs)
He said the federal government is, in effect, “blowing a dog whistle to people trying to enter the country illegally, saying, ‘Listen, if you’re going to swim across the Rio Grande, we’ll let you through.'”
The deployment of the Louisiana National Guard is likely to occur in March and will cost an estimated $3 million. The measure requires approval from the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
Border forces will not have the authority to detain immigrants, Brigadier General. Gen. Michael Greer, director of the Louisiana Department of Military Affairs, said Thursday.
The Texas National Guard stands by as law enforcement waits at a boat ramp entering the Rio Grande River on Jan. 26 at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)
In addition to Louisiana, Florida also sent about 1,000 National Guard troops to the border.
Texas Governor Abbott has been busy in a legal battle with the Biden administration over measures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.
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Meanwhile, Republicans have harshly criticized Biden over the surge in migrants entering the United States.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott’s office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
