Governor Jeff Landry extends Louisiana National Guard border security mission in Texas
Louisiana National Guard troops will keep boots on the ground at the U.S. border in Texas through November, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said.
Landry is extending the orginal three-month mission known as Operation Lone Star at the request of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Landry first announced in February his intention to send Louisiana troops to Texas at the request of Abbott, who has escalated his effort to expand Texas' authority in managing border security after accusing President Biden of failing to uphold what is generally a federal responsibility.
The Louisiana governor reiterated that theme this week.
“As the Biden administration repeatedly ignores the crisis on our southern border, the Louisiana National Guard continues to step up and assist our neighbors in Texas as they work to protect our citizens and secure our country’s border," Landry said in a statement. "I am grateful to the Louisiana National Guard for their hard work defending and securing our nation’s border.”
The Louisiana Legislature funding the initial mission with a $3 million appropriation, but the original mission cost $2.2 million, leaving $800,000 to extend the Louisiana troops stay in Texas.
Louisiana Republican state Senate President Cameron Henry and Republican state House Speaker Phillip DeVillier announced their support for the extension in a joint statement.
“We strongly support the continuation of the Louisiana National Guard’s aid to the State of Texas through Operation Lone Star with the remaining $800,000 from the legislature’s initial allocation of $3 million," they said in the statement. "We understand the importance of protecting the southern border and will continue to work closely with Gov. Landry on this important matter.”
Louisiana's troops assisted the Texas National Guard with patrols on the border to "prevent, detect and deter" illegal crossings, but they aren't authorized to detain any migrants crossing the border illegally.
Landry, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill and a group of Louisiana lawmakers have all made trips to the border to observe the Louisiana soldiers during their deployment.
“Our soldiers are trained and ready to continue supporting Texas and the border operation," Louisiana National Guard Brig. Gen. Thomas Friloux said. "The engineer soldiers are tasked with missions that support their assigned individual and collective training tasks.”
More: Louisiana National Guard completes mission on U.S. southern border in Texas
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana troops extend boots on ground at U.S. border in Texas
