Last week, the state Senate approved a resolution introduced by State Senaor Doug Mastriano calling on the governor to deploy the Pennsylvania National Guard along Texas’s southern border with Mexico as part of Operation Lone Star.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initiated Operation Lone Star in March 2021 in response to the unprecedented rise in illegal immigration. Operation Lone Star is intended to detect and repel illegal crossings, arrest human smugglers and cartel gang members, and stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl.
In May 2023, Abbott sent letters to governors requesting support for Operation Lone Star. So far, 14 states – Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming – have responded and deployed personnel and resources to secure the border.