In a bold move to facilitate President Donald Trump’s large-scale deportation of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has announced that the state’s National Guard will be authorized to make immigration arrests. This unprecedented action expands the state's role in enforcing federal immigration laws, with Guard members now equipped to detain illegal aliens. Abbott’s decision is crucial to help make “America safe again.”
Effective immediately, Abbott said the deal between Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Texas "boosts manpower for border security.” According to the agreement, National Guard soldiers will work to conduct "roving patrols and exercise all the duties of an immigration agent so long as a U.S. immigration officer or Border Patrol agent accompanies them.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed pride in being part of a state that assisted President Trump in "fast-tracking deportations” and took decisive action to eliminate the harmful policies enacted by former President Joe Biden.
“I am proud to be the first to join him to restore our national sovereignty, secure our border, and ensure that criminal aliens face the justice they deserve,” Paxton wrote on X. “As the top law enforcement official in Texas, I call on all agencies and departments to join me in the fight. We will enforce the law and protect America.”
This was just the latest action the Trump administration took to curb illegal immigration and take back control over the southern border.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security granted law enforcement officials from the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons the authority to investigate and apprehend suspected illegal immigrants.
Within hours of taking office, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying active-duty troops to help prevent the flood of undocumented aliens. The president’s border czar, Tom Homan, has wasted no time leading the charge.
