Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has dispatched National Guard troops to aid Texas authorities in guarding the U.S. Southern Border with Mexico. Lee approved the deployment of 100 National Guard members to assist in securing the border, following the lead of the governors of Mississippi and Florida. Lee authorized the deployment as migrant crossing restrictions were lifted.
In a press release, Lee explained the rationale behind his decision, stating that the border crisis poses an unprecedented threat that endangers Americans, including Tennesseans. The Tennessee Governor’s decision was made in response to an invitation from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to participate in “Operation Lone Star,” a Texas initiative aimed at bolstering the security of the United States Southern Border.
In May, Governor Abbott of Texas hosted a briefing in Austin where he updated nine other governors on the progress of Operation Lone Star. The briefing aimed to provide the most recent information on what Texas Insider referred to as the border crisis under the Biden administration. Republicans strongly believe that the Biden administration is responsible for the most severe border crisis in the nation’s history.
As Texas took steps to increase its border resources, House Republicans launched an effort to reimburse the state for its security measures. Republican lawmakers argue that Texas has been left to handle the border defense on its own. In order to support Texas’s reimbursement, the House reintroduced the Lone Star Reimbursement Act on Wednesday, May 24. The bill received support from several representatives from Texas.
The Lone Star Reimbursement Act, initially introduced in 2022, aims to allocate $4.4 billion from the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense to cover the expenses associated with Operation Lone Star in Texas.
