LOUISIANA — Texas has formally requested that Louisiana send members of its National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border to increase military presence. 

What You Need To Know

  • Texas has requested that Louisiana send members of its National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border

  • Gov. Jeff Landry plans to send 50 guard soldiers to Texas in March

  • Landry joins other GOP governors in sending soldiers to the border after a trip to Eagle Pass earlier this month

  • The deployment is set to cost taxpayers an estimated $3 million overall

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced plans to send soldiers to Texas on Feb. 8, AP reports.

Texas sent the request to the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a national mutual aid agreement that allows states to share resources during natural disasters, including terrorism. The request for 50 personnel in "platoon-sized elements," leadership and some equipment was officially received on Monday.

Landry plans to send the soldiers to Texas sometime in March.

The deployment will cost an estimated $3 million of Louisiana taxpayer money.

Earlier this month, Landry visited the southern border in Eagle Pass with Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP governors from across the nation for a news conference.

“What we saw and learned today makes one thing very clear: the Biden administration has completely abdicated its responsibility to enforce the immigration laws on the books. Our open borders allow drugs and human trafficking to flow into our communities, putting our entire country at risk. When in trouble, our neighbors in Texas have always opened their arms to us. Now it’s time we return the favor. I look forward to working with our legislative leadership to find a way to send our National Guard troops to the southern border to support Texas. The rule of law must be enforced," Landry said in a statement after the trip.

Since the trip, other GOP governors — including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson — have announced plans to send their own National Guard soldiers to Texas as Abbott's fight with the Biden administration over border security continues.