NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday he has authorized 100 Tennessee National Guard troops to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border following the expiration of pandemic-related restrictions aimed at protecting public health that had also discouraged migrants seeking to enter the country.
The Republican criticized the Biden administration and said the mission is to secure the southern U.S. border amid what Lee described as a national security crisis and surging drug crisis “being fueled by an open border.”
“America continues to face an unprecedented border crisis that threatens our nation’s security and the safety of Tennesseans,” Lee said in a news release. “The federal government owes Americans a plan to secure our country, and in the meantime, states continue to answer this important call to service. I am again authorizing the Tennessee National Guard to help secure the southern border, and I commend these troops for providing critical support.”
The announcement follows this past week’s statement by Lee and fellow Republican governors and a border security briefing in Austin, Texas, on Monday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, invited states to support his “Operation Lone Star” to secure the U.S. southern border following the end of Title 42.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on May 14 that the number of encounters along the U.S. southern border had dropped by half since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted the week before.