Tenn. Gov. Lee Sending National Guard Troops to Border

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is sending 100 National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border following a plea by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for “all available law enforcement personnel and resources” to help secure the area.

“America continues to face an unprecedented border crisis that threatens our nation’s security and the safety of Tennesseans,” Lee said in a statement.

“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.”

Abbott in mid-May asked fellow governors to send all the police and soldiers they could spare to help secure the Texas-Mexico border following the expiration of a federal rule used to quickly expel migrants from the United States.

“In the federal government’s absence, we, as governors, must band together to combat President Biden’s ongoing border crisis and ensure the safety and security that all Americans deserve,” Abbott wrote.

So far, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Idaho Gov. Brad Little have offered support.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week said the number of encounters along the southern U.S. border had dropped by half since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

“Over the past two days, the United States Border Patrol has experienced a 50% drop in the number of encounters versus what we were experiencing earlier in the week before Title 42 ended at midnight on Thursday,” Mayorkas said on CNN's "State of the Union."

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