Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) announced Tuesday that she would deploy state National Guard troops to aid Texas in its mission to combat the surge of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“President Biden opened our southern border to an invasion of illegal immigrants, drugs, and human trafficking and is now criticizing Texas for stepping up where his administration has failed,” Sanders said in a statement. “I’ve seen the crisis our President created firsthand, and I know the incredible men and women of the Arkansas Guard can help supplement Texas’ efforts to keep our border secure and our states safe.”
Sanders said approximately 40 Arkansas National Guard members would be sent to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) border security efforts. They will be in the Lone Star State from April 1 through May 30, according to the release.
The governor was among a group of state leaders who visited the country’s southern border on Feb. 4. Last summer, Sanders deployed about 80 members to the border and has done so a handful of other times as well.
“The Arkansas National Guard has a rich history of helping neighboring states in a crisis,” Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs said in a statement.
In January, the Texas National Guard ignored a Supreme Court decision and continued putting up razor wire barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, preventing the federal Border Patrol from doing its job.
Since then, Republican governors have joined Abbott in his standoff against the federal government. The Texas governor argues that he has authority to supersede federal law to combat an “invasion.”
Sanders’s announcement follows an unfolding legal dilemma about Texas’s immigration authority as immigration becomes a key issue ahead of the 2024 election. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court allowed a Texas law to take effect that gave state law enforcement the authority to arrest people they suspect are entering the country illegally.
Later Tuesday evening, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order putting the law on hold once again. The appeals panel is set to hear arguments in the case Wednesday morning.