Gianforte directs Montana National Guard to begin working with Texas on border security
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, left, greet members of the National Guard as they arrive with fellow governors for a news conference along the Rio Grande to discuss Operation Lone Star and border concerns, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Abbott returned to the Eagle Pass border to highlight his escalating attempts to curb illegal crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Gov. Greg Gianforte directed the Montana National Guard to begin coordinating with Texas this week, signaling his intent to aid Gov. Greg Abbott in his efforts along the southern border with Mexico.
“While [President Joe] Biden refuses to do his job and enforce the immigration laws already on the books, the state of Montana will identify meaningful ways to support Gov. Abbott and Texas in their efforts to secure the southern border,” Gianforte said in a statement Tuesday.
The governor’s directive to Major Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general for Montana, is in response to the “threat posed to every state by the surge in illegal immigration,” Gianforte’s office said.
As per the directive, National Guard officials will begin sussing out how Montana can assist Texas. That includes a potential support mission manned by volunteers, according to Gianforte's office.
Abbott requested the assistance from Montana, according to the press release. Gianforte previously told the Inter Lake he was open to sending Guard members to Texas at Abbot's request.
A spokesperson for the Montana Army National Guard directed all questions regarding the directive to the Governor’s Office.
Gianforte visited the southern border at Eagle Pass, Texas on Feb. 4 alongside 12 other Republican governors in a show of support for Abbott. The three-term Texas governor is at loggerheads with the Biden administration over federal immigration policy.
Abbott has effectively blocked U.S. Border Patrol from an area of the border in Eagle Pass since mid-January, declaring that the illegal crossings constituted an invasion under the Constitution and the state has the right to defend itself. Abbott’s interpretation of the language in the Constitution, though, has drawn criticism from scholars.
The move came after arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico reached an all-time record in December, according to the Associated Press.
Abbott’s campaign along the border thus far includes miles of concertina wire strung by state officials and the seizure of Eagle Pass’ Shelby Park, a spot that U.S. Border Patrol previously used to process immigrants, according to NBC News. The U.S. Supreme Court has since ruled that federal agents are allowed to remove the wire while a related legal dispute works its way through the courts.
Montana has assisted Texas in the past. The state deployed Guard members to the southern border last year to assist Texas’ efforts.
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.