LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On June 1, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders directed the Arkansas National Guard to send soldiers to the southern border.
The state will send around 80 guardsmen to support "border control" along the southern border with Mexico from July 1 through July 31.
The Texas National Guard will remain the lead agency, while the Arkansas Guardsmen will remain under the control of Gov. Sanders.
Sanders claimed the decision to support the Texas National Guard was because Biden's border policies have put "the entire country at risk."
“States must now step up where the President has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking,” Governor Sanders said. “Arkansans have always been quick to step up when others are in need – this time is no different.”
Title 42, which was a pandemic-related asylum restriction, expired on May 11. The rules were in effect since March 2020 and it allowed officials to send asylum seekers back to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Sanders claimed that the ending of Title 42 is "threatening the country with a surge of illegal immigration."
According to reports, illegal border crossings reached a record high last year and the federal government continues to see an increase in border crossings.
"The Arkansas National Guard is uniquely qualified to assist with border control operations," said Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Adjutant General for the Arkansas National Guard. "Our Soldiers and Airmen have been providing these same capabilities to combatant commanders and local law enforcement agencies for years."
This is not the first time that Arkansas has participated in missions along the nation’s southern border.
The Arkansas National Guard deployed troops between June 2006 and July 2008 in support of Operation Jump Start, providing more than 750 soldiers and airmen in support of the Border Patrol.