Louisiana National Guard Engineers Deployed to Texas Southern Border Until November

BATON ROUGE, La. — Governor Jeff Landry announced on Monday, July 1, that the Louisiana National Guard's participation in Operation Lone Star will be extended until mid-November, following a request for assistance from Texas.

The extension comes after an initial deployment in March when fifty Louisiana National Guard soldiers were sent to aid Texas in addressing the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. This mobilization, approved by Governor Landry, was backed by a $3 million allocation covering pay, allowances, transportation, lodging, and meals.

The governor’s office reported that $2.2 million of the allocated funds had been utilized during the initial mission. The remaining $800,000 will now fund the deployment of engineer soldiers for the extended operation.

“Working with Texas, the Louisiana National Guard has developed a plan to send engineers to support Operation Lone Star, fulfilling the State of Texas's request with the remaining funds from the initial allocation,” Governor Landry stated in a letter to Speaker Phillip DeVillier and Senate President Cameron Henry.

This continued collaboration highlights the strong interstate cooperation aimed at managing and mitigating the ongoing border crisis.