Texas Prepares for Troop Deployment

By Greg Moses

The Texas National Guard and the Governor’s Office have been working up preliminary plans for deployment of troops to the Mexico border, and both offices are expecting the Governor to sign a Memorandum of Agreement in the very near future that would put the troop deployment into action. The preliminary planning has involved five chiefs of the border sectors, including Laredo, El Paso, and Marfa. And their preliminary plans call for deployment of expertise in “linguistics, engineering, and transportation” says Chief Moncada of the Guard public affairs office in Austin.

A spokesperson for the Governor’s office says the operation is in “final stages of planning” and that the memorandum of agreement “has been drafted and is being finalized for signatures”.

“We hope to get personnel to the border as quickly as possible,” said Rachael Novier from the Governor’s press office.

Texas has 21,000 troops in the Army and Air National Guard, says Chief Moncada. Currently 3,600 are deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Sinai.

Two thousand of the Texas guard assisted relief efforts following hurricane Katrina, and 1,500 were deployed for hurrican Rita, said Moncada.

During the wildfires of December 2005, 6 aircraft were deployed. Moncada says there is “some discussion” about a need for guard aircraft at the border.

Note: A quick check with local activists indicated that they were surprised to learn that the deployment was being authorized before Congress completes its work on major immigration legislation.
Border Patrol Sector Map