TEXAS — More National Guard troops are headed to the Texas-Mexico border. Fifty men and women who serve in Oklahoma are now in the Lone Star State.

At the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican governors from 14 states have pledged to bolster Operation Lone Star, Texas’ multibillion-dollar border enforcement program. That effort has added hundreds of troops at the border over the past several months.

What You Need To Know

  • Fifty members of the Oklahoma National Guard have been deployed to the Texas-Mexico border to help with border security 

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year called on his fellow Republican governors for help 

  • Guard members will provide assistance near El Paso but won't be directly involved in enforcement of immigration laws 

  • Texas' border enforcement initiative, Operation Lone Star, has come under a great deal of scrutiny lately 

The Oklahoma National Guard members were given a send-off on Sunday. They’ll assist the Texas National Guard near El Paso by manning security check points and alerting law enforcement to illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt approved the deployment in June.

"As Governor, the decision to deploy members of the National Guard is not one I take lightly and, as the parent of a deployed soldier, I am acutely aware of the sacrifices made by the brave men and women of our National Guard and their families during deployment,” Stitt wrote in a news release.

“However, I believe it is in the best interest of Oklahoma and the nation to take decisive action to address the federal government's utter failure to secure our southern border," Stitt continued. "Republican governors continue to step up to the plate when President Biden refuses to lead; and by deploying our brave National Guard Troops, we're sending a strong message that we remain dedicated to defending our borders and upholding law and order in our nation."

Oklahoma National Guard member will not be directly involved in the enforcement of immigration laws.

Operation Lone Star has come under increased scrutiny recently following the revelation of an email from a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper-medic working along the Texas-Mexico border.

According to the email from the medic to a supervisor, troopers have crossed the line into the “inhumane.” Among other things, the email states that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were ordered to push migrants back into the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass and deny them water.

Texas leadership has vehemently denied that any such orders were given.