As part of Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts to stop migrants from crossing into the United States, roughly 300 Texas National Guard troops moved into an 80-acre base being constructed along the U.S. border with Mexico on Friday.
Forward Operating Base Eagle Pass, located on the Rio Grande in southwest Texas, is still under construction but will eventually accommodate up to 1,800 troops in single-occupancy rooms, all working on the state-sponsored mission known as Operation Lone Star.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, commander of the Texas National Guard, and Gov. Abbott hosted a media tour of the base on Friday, answering questions in front of a backdrop of Guard soldiers standing at ease.
The three-year-old, multibillion-dollar mission puts Guard members at the border alongside state police to deter illegal activities such as human smuggling and drug trafficking. Abbott and the Texas National Guard have been tight-lipped about the total number of troops assigned to the mission.
Once the new base at Eagle Pass is fully operational in about five months, the Guard will close three smaller base camps scattered along the Texas border, Suelzer said. The Guard will also move its Operation Lone Star headquarters to the new base from McAllen, about 290 miles southeast, and relocate most of its logistical supplies there.
This move is expected to save the state approximately $11.5 million each month in troop housing costs, not including the cost of gas for driving back and forth to more distant bases or hotels.
The Texas National Guard is “guarding” the border so closely, they decided to move in right next door to Mexico!
