Gov. Jeff Landry's plan to send Louisiana National Guard to Texas could cost $3 million

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) -- Gov. Jeff Landry says the deployment of Louisiana National Guard troops to aid Texas in the U.S.-Mexico border crisis could happen as early as March.

A total of 150 national guardsmen will be sent to the border over three months. Starting in March, 50 soldiers will be sent at a time and rotated out on a 30-day cycle.

Guardsmen will not be performing border agent tasks and they will not be allowed to make any arrests. They will be performing similar duties as they would when deployed for natural disasters.

“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," Brig. Gen. Michael Greer said.

Landry talked about the plans Thursday morning after his Sunday trip to Eagle Pass, Texas. Landry and other governors were debriefed on Operation Lone Star, which was launched in 2021 to deploy the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the border.

“Because the federal government will not act," Landry said Thursday. "Because the president will not do his job. Because Congress refuses to put in place a solid immigration plan that protects this country and allows people to come in and out of this country. The way it has been done since the beginning. Then the states are going to act. And so today, we stand in uniform agreement in heeding Texas’ call and Gov. Abbott’s call to send national guardsmen down to the border.”

The plan to send troops to the southern border could cost $3 million, Landry said. He said the money shouldn't be considered a waste, saying it serves the state of Louisiana by showing and training guardsmen for readiness.

“So this money that some people are claiming is wasted is not wasted," he said. "It helps to prepare our troops, helps to train our troops and also helps our neighbors in Texas.”

Funds will have to be allocated by the Louisiana Legislature in the regular session. The session is set to start on Monday, March 11.

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