Governor Jeff Landry confirms that he will deploy members of the Louisiana National Guard to the Texas/Mexico border to assist that state's authorities in their efforts to combat illegal immigration.
During a Thursday press conference, Landry said he will deploy guardsmen to Texas in March at a cost of $3 million to the state of Louisiana.
Landry blamed the federal government's inaction at the border for his desire to assist Texas Governor Greg Abbott stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming across the Texas border.
"What the government has done--what the president has done--is basically dog-whistled to those who are trying to come into the country illegally and say, 'Listen. If you swim across the Rio Grande, we'll let you in that way,'" Landry said.
Landry added that Louisiana guardsmen are needed to help stop fentanyl from entering the United States via the southern border.
"There are 125,000 Americans that we are losing on an annual basis because of this crisis," Landry said. "We know, as Governor Abbot explained to us, that 30,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized at the border in Texas. That's enough to kill almost everyone in this country."
Louisiana National Guard Brigadier General Thomas Friloux says the Louisiana guardsmen's missions will be assigned by the Texas National Guard. Friloux added that Louisiana guardsmen will not be in charge of detaining illegal immigrants caught crossing the border.
"If they encounter illegal border crossers, they will refer those to local law enforcement who have the responsibility to make those arrests or do whatever it is under Texas law," Friloux said.
Landry would not disclose how many guardsmen would be deployed to Texas.
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