(The Center Square) – The Montana National Guard is deploying to Texas to help secure the southern border.
Governor Greg Gianforte made the declaration on Tuesday, saying that President Joe Biden “has left our southern border completely exposed and overrun by drug cartels.”
The governor went on to say that these cartels are also responsible for bringing deadly crime and drugs into the U.S.
“The State of Montana has experienced the devastating consequences of the nation’s unsecure southern border, including an increase in human trafficking and drug trafficking,” the governor’s executive order says.
In a video announcement, Gianforte said: “While [Biden] refuses to do his job, Republican governors are stepping up to do it for him.”
Texas requested assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. As part of Montana’s response, MTNG will designate 10 volunteer soldiers on state active duty for the purposes of supporting efforts in response to the state of emergency declared by Texas. The guardsmen will arrive in Texas on April 8 and return to Montana on May 12.
“In recent years we have provided support outside our state in response to hurricanes, flooding and fires, and on this mission we will be supporting Texas in their ongoing border mission,” Major General J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general for Montana, said in a statement.
Montana has seen a spike in fentanyl seizures in recent years, The Center Square previously reported. A state task force last year seized 398,552 dosage units of fentanyl in total, up from 188,823 dosage units in 2022 and 60,557 in 2021, according to the Montana attorney general’s office.
“We’re putting more boots on the ground and giving prosecutors the tools they need to hold perpetrators accountable, but until the southern border is secure the problem will not be solved,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said at the time. “President Biden needs to do his job, follow the law, and secure the border.”