Texas Governor Greg Abbott welcomed the first 300 National Guard troops to a new forward base just south of Eagle Pass on the Mexican border. Abbott toured Forward Base Eagle on Friday with Texas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer and Texas Border Commissioner Mike Banks. The governor held a press conference after the tour to provide details on the latest developments at the base camp.
At a press conference, Governor Abbott explained the rationale for establishing the base, which could eventually house 2,200 Texas National Guard troops, saying, “The troops deployed in Operation Lone Star are scattered for miles around this region, and they have to drive many miles to get to their jobs and then drive many miles back to where they’re staying later that night.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tours the dining hall at FOB Eagle. (Office of the Governor of Texas)
“While previously an inefficient way to house our troops, this base camp will improve the quality of life for our border patrol service members while providing the housing and living standards that will allow Texas to maintain a permanent presence on our southern border,” Abbott added.
Breitbart Texas reports that construction on the facility is progressing rapidly and will house 1,800 soldiers at any one time, with the capacity to accommodate an additional 500 troops, for a total capacity of 2,200. The new forward operating base promises to significantly improve accommodations for soldiers. The base will have private quarters for soldiers, a 700-seat dining hall, a recreation center, laundry facilities, and WiFi access. The camp will also offer chaplaincy programs and medical and mental health facilities, according to the Texas Military Department.
Texas Military Department
According to Texas Military Department contract documents, the state will pay Team Housing Solutions Inc., a New Braunfels, Texas, company, $131 million for operations through September 2024. General Suelzer said the project will ultimately save taxpayers money, reduce travel times for soldiers to get to garrison and improve efficiency by reducing reliance on public hotels in the area.
The welcoming and opening of the soldiers is the first of several phases of the base construction project, Swelzer told reporters on Friday. “What you are seeing here today is the completion of the first of six phases of this base camp. Many of the soldiers behind me have spent an hour of travel time just to get to the border, some of them from base camps also farther north. Welcoming them to this base camp will allow them to operate more efficiently to protect our border.”
The base will also serve as the home base for Texas Military Headquarters, which will be relocated from McAllen, Texas, once the project is complete, Suelzer said.
According to statistics released by the Governor’s Office, Operation Lone Star has resulted in the arrest of 512,300 immigrants, more than 43,400 criminal arrests, and more than 38,200 felony charges. Texas law enforcement officials involved in the operation have seized more than 487 million doses of the deadly drug fentanyl.
Randy Clark Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Division, where he led operations for nine Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio Sector, Texas. Follow him on Twitter: @RandyClarkBBTX.
