Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the deployment of Arkansas National Guard soldiers to the southern US border in Texas to assist state authorities in their efforts to combat illegal immigration.
About 40 members of the Arkansas National Guard will be deployed from 1 April to 30 May in Eagle Pass, Texas, as confirmed by the governor's office.
The deployment had been anticipated after Sanders' visit to the border last month, along with 14 other Republican governors, in support of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Members of the Arkansas Guard's 142nd Field Artillery Brigade will assist the Texas National Guard in surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
"With his policies, President Biden has opened our southern border to an invasion of illegal immigrants, drugs and human trafficking, and now criticises Texas for taking action where his administration has failed," declared Sanders. "I have seen firsthand the crisis created by our president and know that the extraordinary men and women of the Arkansas Guard can help strengthen Texas' efforts to keep our border and our states secure."
Texan authorities have sought to intensify police operations along the Lone Star State's border with Mexico as tensions with the federal government over immigration enforcement intensify and the number of migrants and asylum seekers reaches historic levels.
Sanders' office announced the deployment shortly before the US Supreme Court lifted its stay of a controversial Texas state law allowing - at least during the current appeal - the arrest and deportation of migrants who entered the state without authorisation. Traditionally, the power to enforce immigration laws rests with the federal government, and the Biden administration has argued that the Texas law is unconstitutional because it violates that authority.
The case remained in the balance following a legal tug-of-war after initially being declared unconstitutional.
Despite this, Texas has erected barbed wire nets along the Rio Grande and installed buoys across the river to prevent the passage of people.
Already last July, some 80 soldiers were sent to the border to assist the Texan authorities.
Last year's deployment cost the state an estimated $1.3 million. Next month's mission is expected to cost the state $1.01 million, although a spokesman pointed out that the figure could vary depending on several variables.
The National Guard had already deployed 40 members to the southern border in 2021 for 90 days, on a mission mainly aimed at recovering and repairing vehicles belonging to a Texas operation group at the border.
The Arkansas Guard also deployed troops between 2006 and 2008 in support of the federal Operation Jump Start under former President George W. Bush, providing over 750 soldiers and airmen in support of the Border Patrol.
"The Arkansas National Guard Corps has a long history of assisting neighbouring states in crisis situations," said Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Commanding General of the Arkansas Guard. "We assisted Texas last year and in the past under different administrations. Our soldiers will be well prepared and ready to assist in Texas National Guard operations."
National Guard members will remain under the command of Governor Sanders while in Texas, but the Texas National Guard will lead the mission. This deployment emphasises the joint commitment and collaboration between states in addressing national security challenges and managing the complex dynamics at the southern US border.
Arkansas National Guard, who they are
The Arkansas National Guard (ARNG), commonly known as the Arkansas Guard, is a component of the Arkansas Government and the United States National Guard. It is composed of Army and Air Force National Guard units. The deputy general's office is located at Camp Robinson MTC, North Little Rock.
National Guard units can be mobilised at any time by presidential order to supplement the regular armed forces and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike members of the Army Reserve, National Guard members cannot be mobilised individually (except through voluntary transfers and temporary duty assignments (TDY)), but only as part of their respective units. However, since 2001, several individual activations have been carried out to support military operations.
Federal Mission
When National Guard troops are called into federal service, the President acts as Commander-in-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "Provide duly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilisation in the event of war, national emergency or as required".. For much of the last decades of the 20th century, National Guard personnel typically served 'one weekend a month, two weeks a year'with one part working for the Guard full-time. Current US force training plans call for the typical National Guard unit (or Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every six years of service.
During the Little Rock school crisis in 1957, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730, which placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal control. In this context, the National Guard was used to ensure racial integration in schools, marking a significant moment in American civil rights history. As of February 2023, Executive Order 10730 has not been revoked.
State mission
The Governor may summon individuals or units of the Arkansas National Guard for state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations that lend themselves to the use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is: "Provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided for by state law." When not activated for his federal mission, the Governor commands the Guard forces through the State Attaché General. The Governor may mobilise the Guard during local or state emergencies, such as storms, droughts and civil unrest, to name a few, as well as, as in this case, to defend the state borders.
