'The Border Is A War Zone': South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Sending National Guard To Help Texas Secure Border

The situation at the southern border has gotten out of control as millions of illegal migrants flow into the United States under President Joe Biden's watch every year since he was inaugurated. In response to this challenge, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) took matters into his own hands by launching Operation Lone Star, which saw the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the border as well as the busing of migrants from border communities to sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Following a recent showdown with the federal government at Shelby Park just outside of Eagle Pass, Texas, the Lone Star State governor requested assistance from governors across the country. On Tuesday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) answered the call.

"The border is a war zone, so we're sending soldiers," Noem explained in a press release. "These soldiers' primary mission will be the construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America."

Noem's office explained that 60 National Guard troops would be sent to the southern border on a rotating basis over the next three months to assist in repelling illegal migrants from crossing the Rio Grande. In an address to the state legislature last month, Noem explained that the federal government has attempted to stop Texas and other states from enforcing federal immigration law. Her speech came after the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration could tear down razor wire put up on the border by the state of Texas.

"Our troops have been hampered by federal restrictions when they've been deployed to the border in the past," Noem explained, as reported by Newsmax. "I don't want South Dakota soldiers to facilitate an invasion — I want them to stand up and stop it. So, we are talking to Texas about what rules of engagement can look like to make sure that happens."

Noem joins over a dozen other states who have decided to answer Gov. Abbott's call. The states that sent National Guardsmen include Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

As of February, 7.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border and entered the interior of the country. That's a bigger population than 36 states, including eight times more than the population of South Dakota. Biden has created a crisis on the southern border, and localities as far away as the Dakotas are feeling the pressure.

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