Governor orders troops to Texas border

An Arkansas National Guard unit is making plans to move after Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday ordered troops deployed along the nation’s southern border in New Mexico to Texas to assist with border security there.

Eight Arkansas guardsmen and two helicopters were deployed in May to the southwest border in New Mexico after President Donald Trump requested assistance from states to secure the border between the United States and Mexico.

“Our National Guard assets were deployed at my direction to assist in a multistate effort to secure our southwest border,” Hutchinson said in a news release Thursday. “At this time, I have directed General [Mark] Berry to shift those assets to Texas, where they have additional security needs and are requesting our assistance.”

J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Hutchinson, said the unit will be deployed until June 1. After that, deployments will be evaluated quarterly. He said the National Guard bureau requested assistance at the border in Texas as recently as last week.

Earlier this week, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the withdrawal of the New Mexico National Guard from border deployment, and directed 25 troops stationed there from other states be withdrawn as well. Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Wisconsin all had troops in New Mexico, according to The Associated Press.

“New Mexico will not take part in the president’s charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops,” Grisham said shortly before the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday.

Hutchinson said he respects Grisham’s decision.

“Our mission was supportive of the border patrol action and increasing border security, but the decision is ultimately up the governor whenever our National Guard is deployed under state authorization,” Hutchinson said. “We’re moving to Texas because they have a continued concern over border security, and we want to be able to support that effort.”

Hutchinson said he announced his decision in the interest of transparency.

“The people of Arkansas should know where our Arkansas National Guard is serving,” Hutchinson said. “From an Arkansas standpoint, we’re not only supporting a national mission of increased border security and supporting our fellow states, but we’re also providing our National Guard with an important training mission that they value.”

Guard spokesman Maj. Will Phillips said the unit was in the beginning stages of leaving New Mexico.

“They gave us 30 days, so sometime in the next 29 days we will be leaving here,” Phillips said. “We currently have one helicopter and five people in New Mexico.”

Phillips said the officials are still discussing how many troops will be moved to Texas, where they will be deployed and the types of duties they will handle.