On May 16, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas sent a letter to each of his fellow governors requesting help in his Operation Lone Star program for protecting the Texas border with Mexico, saying in part:
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. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact empowers states to provide assistance to one another in times of disaster or emergency, both of which accurately describe the current border crisis. Join us in the mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and send all available law enforcement personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border to serve alongside our thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers.
A week later, on May 23, Abbott hosted nine of those governors, all Republican, for a briefing in Austin:
- Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- Idaho Governor Brad Little
- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds
- Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves
- Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen
- Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt
- South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
- Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin
And within the week that followed, Abbott’s efforts began to bear fruit:
- Gov. Lee of Tennessee authorized deployment of 100 Tennessee National Guardsmen to Texas.
- Gov. Little of Idaho sent Idaho policemen.
- Gov. Pillen of Nebraska announced the deployment of 100 state troopers.
- Gov. DeSantis sent 436 National Guardsmen, 40 Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, and 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
(The response from Florida was especially generous and was not the first time the state has contributed to the success of Lone Star. Last year, Gov. DeSantis sent 200 police, 800 Florida National Guardsmen, 101 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, and 20 individuals working in Emergency Management. The Florida governor also deployed drones, boats, two mobile command vehicles, and five fixed-wing aircraft with supporting crews.)
In addition, a total of 24 Gop governors have pledged support to Texas, including the governors of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. No Democrat governors have responded to Abbott’s request.
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