Republican governors from all over the country are sending law enforcement to the border

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The deployments, which came from states ranging from South Dakota to Idaho to Florida, were in response to requests from two other Republican executives — Doug Ducey of Arizona and Greg Abbott of Texas — who asked the country’s governors to send law enforcement to the United States. The US-Mexico border in a letter sent earlier this month, and their actions come amid a concerted effort by Republicans to demonstrate increased illegal immigration to the Biden administration — Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been asked to lead the White House effort. To reduce immigration from Central America. As part of that political effort, Trump is scheduled to visit southern Texas and the border with Abbott on Wednesday, to continue his ongoing attacks against his successor.

Republican governors — many of whom have long been closely associated with Trump — also signal their loyalty to the former president, who made illegal immigration and the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border a cornerstone of his four years in office. White House.

Kristi Noem of South Dakota is one of the state’s latest executives to deploy law enforcement at the border, and announced Tuesday that it has sent the South Dakota National Guard to Texas “to help secure the US-Mexico border.”

Noem took a hit on the Biden administration as part of the rollout.

“The Biden administration has failed,” she said, adding that “the border is a national security crisis that requires the kind of sustained response that only the National Guard can provide.”

Noem funded the operation, according to its spokesperson Ian Fury, through a private donation from the Willis Foundation and the Reba Johnson Foundation. The Johnsons are longtime Republican donors who founded Copart, an online used car dealer.

Fiore said the donation was made directly to the state and that Noem “welcomes any such donations to help ease the cost to South Dakota taxpayers.”

The governor of South Dakota has joined a number of other Republican executives to send law enforcement officials to the border, including a potential fellow presidential candidate in 2024.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced last week that he will deploy state and local law enforcement officers to Texas and Arizona “in response to the border crisis.” DeSantis, who is seen as a potential candidate in 2024, shot Biden in doing so: “Where the federal government has failed, states are stepping in to do everything we can to fill the void.”

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday also authorized the deployment of up to 40 National Guard troops for a 90-day period in order to “reduce the negative impact of illegal immigration on Arkansas.” Last week, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds authorized National Guard troops to head to the border earlier this month because, she said, “the state has no choice but to act.” Earlier this month, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts announced that his state was “advancing” and deploying state patrol forces to the border, while Idaho Governor Brad Little announced that the state would help but was “assessing our resources” to determine what it could provide.

How effective these state law enforcement officials are is an open question.

Immigration law enforcement is the responsibility of the federal authorities. While the federal government has partnered with states and localities in some cases, local law enforcement is generally limited in how it helps enforce immigration laws.

“This is more theater than anything,” former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Jill Kirlikowski told CNN. “I think immigration is the sole jurisdiction of the federal government. It’s not the same as drug laws that are shared with states. No country can enforce their own immigration laws or rules.”

Kirlikowski, who served under former President Barack Obama, said the Texas Department of Public Safety has been at the border over the years to patrol roads, stop traffic and monitor and report any activity. Similarly, National Guard forces have provided support to Customs and Border Protection, often logistically.

“On the ground, the logistical coordination has always been,” he said, adding that “there was good coordination, and CBP worked well with the deployments. CBP employs more than 19,000 Border Patrol agents.”

Kirlikowski concluded that the distinction would be how well deployed officers know the border—where National Guard forces are likely to have some familiarity—and how, if they work in concert with Border Patrol agents.

“Sending 50 law enforcement officers out of Florida without understanding the border is really just political theater again,” Kirlikowski said.

A CBP spokesperson told CNN that the government agency “continues to strengthen our longstanding relationships with state and local law enforcement, including border area deconfliction operations and responding to calls from other law enforcement agencies,” but that it “complies with the state of Texas to speak up.” for any steps it is taking to increase its enforcement position.”

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