TEXAS — As the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and the removal of undocumented immigrants ramp up, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is bolstering the state’s military presence at the southern border.


What You Need To Know

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he has ordered more state military resouces to the southern border

  • The Texas Tactical Border Force will coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley

  • The surge includes more than 400 additional soldiers and C-130 and Chinook helicopters 

  • The deployment comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting immigration raids 

Abbott on Monday directed the Texas Military Department to deploy the Texas Tactical Border Force to the Rio Grande Valley to coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol, a news release said.

Abbott said the troops departed from bases in Houston and Fort Worth Monday morning and that the border surge will include more than 400 additional soldiers as well as C-130 and Chinook helicopters.

The soldiers will join Texas National Guard troops already stationed at the border as part of Texas’ multibillion-dollar Operation Lone Star border security effort.

“Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border,” Abbott said. “To support that mission, today, I deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force, comprised of hundreds of troops, to work side-by-side with U.S. Border Patrol agents to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country and to enforce immigration laws.”

The Texas Tactical Border Force was launched in 2023 and is part of Operation Lone Star.

The military buildup comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started conducting immigration raids across the country, including in Texas.

On Trump’s orders, such action has taken place in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Brownsville and McAllen.