SC Governor to Deploy National Guard for Texas Border Mission.

Republican governors across the United States are backing Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s mission to secure the southern border. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is the latest to announce he will send some of his state’s National Guard troops to Texas.

“The safety and security of South Carolinians require that we stop the drug cartels, criminals, and terrorists from entering our country to peddle their poison.”

McMaster’s announcement came on the same day as Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced they would also send troops to the border. The South Carolina National Guard border deployment is still in the planning phase, with the exact number of troops yet to be determined. McMaster’s office said he is hoping to have a plan ready in the coming weeks, with a goal for South Carolina’s troops to arrive in Texas by July 1.

States Backing Abbott

With his Wednesday announcement, McMaster joined a growing list of Republican governors who have pledged to send troops to assist Abbott. These state-level troop deployments come amid the end of federal Title 42 authorities on May 11. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, U.S. officials passed Title 42 to rapidly turn away and expel illegal immigrants under public health justifications.

As Title 42 came to an end, Abbott began using his state’s National Guard and police resources to set up razor wire fences and other barriers along their border with Mexico, and to physically block and turn back people attempting illegal crossings between official ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border. Abbott reached out to his fellow governors for help and, on May 16, 24 Republican governors signed a letter of support for Abbott’s border control mission.

Since singing the May 16 support letter, several Republican governors have pledged specific resources:

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged 800 National Guard soldiers, 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers, 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, and 20 Emergency Management personnel to Texas. DeSantis also pledged five fixed-wing aircraft, two mobile command vehicles, 17 unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and 10 watercraft.
• Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced an unspecified number of troops from the Mississippi National Guard’s 112th Military Police Battalion would deploy to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents along the southwest border.
• Tennessee Governor Bill Lee authorized the deployment of 100 Tennessee National Guard troops to the border. Lee said these troops would patrol and provide an added security presence at the border, help staff outposts, and assist in road and route clearance, barrier placement, and debris removal.
• Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced he would send 10 Nebraska state troopers to Texas to assist Abbott’s border security mission.
• Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will send 100 Iowa National Guard troops and 30 Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers to Texas.

The Republican governors’ support for Abbott’s mission highlights the need for increased border security and the importance of protecting American citizens from drug cartels, criminals, and terrorists.