Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday extended the deployment of National Guard troops along the state’s border with Mexico to help block illegal crossings by unaccompanied children into the United States.
The deployments began 18 months ago when thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied youth began streaming over the border mainly from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. They were due to be completed at the end of December.
Abbott, a Republican, also ordered an increase in boat patrols on the Rio Grande River and air surveillance. Earlier this year, the state legislature approved an $800 million two-year plan to add 250 public safety officers to the border region.
Despite a slowdown late last year, the U.S. Border Patrol reported that more than 10,000 unaccompanied children were apprehended crossing the U.S. Southwest Border in October and November, about double the same period a year ago.
Nearly 6,500 of the children were caught crossing into the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, compared to 3,200 a year earlier.
Full article: Texas governor extends National Guard deployments to monitor border (Reuters)
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