West Virginia Sends 50 National Guard Soldiers to Help Texas Combat the Border Crisis

Governor Greg Abbott and Governor Jim JusticePhoto byTwitter

Texas Governor Greg Abbott received more support on the last day of May as West Virginia announced they would support the Texas border mission. Last month, Governor Abbott sent a request to governors to help him fight the border crisis where illegal migrants and the lethal drug fentanyl cross the southern border.

As of May 23, the Texas border mission has apprehended 377,000 illegal immigrants, made 28,000 criminal arrests, and seized over 417 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

Last month, Governor Abbott put out a call to State governors to support the border mission and he has received a positive response from Republican governors. On May 31, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia said he would send military support to Texas.

Governor Justice said:

"In response to a letter requesting aid from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, I have approved the deployment of members of the West Virginia National Guard to help secure our border, reduce the flood of fentanyl, and combat the human trafficking crisis. Several governors are doing this because the situation on our Southern Border is terrible, and I want to make sure we're doing our part. So, I'm very proud to support our friends to the south. I know our National Guard will do incredible work, and we'll wish them Godspeed to get home safe and sound. I thank them all for their incredible bravery and for stepping up yet again to answer the call."

According to Governor Justice, he is supporting Operation Lone Star and sending up to 50 West Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to deploy to Texas for up to 30 days to support Operation Lone Star.

Justice is another governor lending support to Abbott. In Austin, Texas, Governor Abbott hosted a meeting with 10 Republican governors as he described the situation.

Also on May 31, South Carolina and Iowa governors said they would provide support.

With the additional support, Governor Abbott will not need to request support from President Joe Biden.

Do you think Governor Justice did the right thing?