Dear Friends:
We have sadly learned that “Every state is a border state.”
Those who have invaded America are in every state, not just those on the border. Therefore, every state has the responsibility to join President Trump’s all-hands-on-deck approach to cracking down on illegal immigration and deporting illegal aliens who broke our laws, starting first with those who have criminal records.
(Please note that we were required to avoid photographing the faces of our deployed soldiers for the safety of their families from being targeted by the Mexican cartels.)
South Carolina – On the Border
Our SC National Guard soldiers are standing in the breach on the Texas-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas. Two Companies, totaling 250 soldiers, have suspended their civilian lives for a year to help secure our nation’s border and keep you safe. Left behind are their families and their civilian jobs. Their year-long deployment has them scheduled to return just before Thanksgiving.
I joined Representatives Doug Gilliam, Richie Yow, and Cody Mitchell this weekend to witness our soldiers’ sacrifice firsthand and learn about their border mission. Major General Van McCarty, SCNG’s Adjutant General, and Brigadier General Robin Stillwell, Director of the SCNG Joint Staff, accompanied us.
National Guardsmen from Florida and Alabama join our South Carolinian troops on the border. The contingent is on duty in the Laredo and McAllen sectors, which stretches 300 miles along the Rio Grande River. Our SC guardsmen are responsible for the 80 miles of border in the Laredo sector.
Invasion is Cratering
In our initial briefing, the military commanders made it clear that, with Washington’s new priorities, they have seen an enormous decrease in border crossings. As one officer stated, “The invasion is cratering.”
Our SC soldiers’ mission is to detect and monitor illegal aliens crossing the Rio Grande and report to the Border Patrol for intervention. They have ‘eyes on’ 24 hours a day, aided by hundreds of remote video cameras and mobile surveillance vehicles. They work in collaboration with the U.S. Border Patrol. They told us they have a great partnership with Border Patrol. When we last visited the border 18 months ago at Eagle Pass, that wasn’t the case. Cooperation with the Border Patrol was difficult under the direction of the Biden regime.
Dangerous Border
While our SC soldiers are stationed in America, they are still in danger.
This past week, Border Patrol agents were fired upon in a remote town southeast of Laredo. There were no injuries. Mexican cartel operatives were attempting to drive a group of illegal aliens across the Rio Grande when the confrontation occurred. The Texas Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security, and the FBI all responded to the scene.
Because of potential snipers, we were required to wear protective gear while visiting six border surveillance posts.
Our National Guard soldiers are facing four powerful cartels that smuggle drugs and people into the United States. In our briefing, we were told human smuggling is more lucrative than the drug trade. That’s a tragedy and a significant humanitarian reason to close the border.
Laredo is the third most populated city on the Mexican border, and it experiences the most truck traffic from Mexico because I-35 stretches north nearly 1,600 miles from Laredo to Minnesota.
Reinforcements Heading to the Border
The lax border policy of the past four years is quickly being shored up.
The Pentagon is surging approximately 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern U.S. border under orders from President Trump to assist in flying migrants out of the country as well as building barriers to curb the invasion.
Currently, those active-duty forces consist of 1,000 Army soldiers and approximately 500 Marines. They also include helicopters with associated crews and intelligence analysts “to support increased detection and monitoring efforts.” Reports suggest that the federal military force could ultimately swell to as many as 10,000 troops. No details are provided about what units would be tapped for border duty.
The Texas Response
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has spent billions of Texas taxpayer’s dollars to defend the Texas border during the Biden years, welcomes the reinforcements and ordered Texas state law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities and law enforcement in their border security efforts.
Abbott ordered the Texas Military to develop an operational plan to cooperate with the U.S. armed forces to regain and maintain operational control of the southern border. Texas agencies must help with border barriers by deploying physical infrastructure to improve operational security at the southern border.
Abbott’s orders also direct Texas state agencies to earmark land and facilities that can be used for the detention and deportation of immigrants who are believed to be in the country illegally. The Texas General Land Office has already gifted the Trump administration a 1,400-acre ranch in Starr County to build detention and deportation facilities.
Border Surge Reversing
For years, we have witnessed open borders where invaders from Central America, South America, and from around the world, including China, have surged across our Southern border. That enormous surge now looks like a trickle by comparison, and the surge is starting to be reversed.
Mexican authorities are urging border residents not to panic and trust in their authorities’ ability to manage a potential north-to-south migrant surge. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government is building nine large migrant reception centers to handle mass deportations.
Meanwhile, Columbian President Gustavo Petro is urging Colombian nationals in the U.S. illegally to return home, promising to provide loans to those who return, days after being embroiled in a diplomatic controversy with the U.S.
“I ask undocumented Colombians in the US to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible,” Petro said on X.
A quote from the past: “If you’re a criminal, you will be deported.” — President Barack Obama
We Are at WAR!
Military officials who briefed us said the border will be “very active for the next couple of years.”
That may be an understatement.
The Mexican cartels are highly sophisticated and well-financed through their years of human trafficking and drug smuggling. They are violent. They are nimble. They will change their strategies to hurdle the obstacles we put in their path.
Be clear on this – WE ARE AT WAR WITH THE CARTELS!
The road ahead to righting the past administration’s immigration wrongs and enforcing long-standing immigration laws will be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Those who believe in the rule of law must support these efforts while ignoring the wailing of the open-border faction and humanitarians who oppose them.
This leads me to wonder – why do many of those wanting to protect the illegal invaders not show the same compassion for those people who have crossed the border and been trafficked and enslaved in America or for the missing immigrant children? According to the testimony before Congress, J.J. Carrell, who was in charge of the U.S. Border Patrol during the four years of the Biden administration, he believes an estimated 500,000 unaccompanied children were mercilessly trafficked across our borders. Inside this invasion, the unspoken evil of child-trafficking and, more specifically, child sex–trafficking, has flourished. Shouldn’t that be the focus, rather than coddle illegal aliens?
Pray for Our Soldiers
We traveled to the border to love on our SC soldiers and tell them how grateful we (and you) are for their service and sacrifice. We had two large meet-and-greets with soldiers where we presented recognition from the House of Representatives to several soldiers their commanders cited for outstanding service.
Late Friday night, from my Laredo hotel room, I posted on social media asking for folks to lift up in their prayers our South Carolina National Guard soldiers guarding the Texas border. Hundreds responded by sharing the post and praying.
I repeat that request. Please pray for a hedge of protection around the 250 South Carolina soldiers
— our neighbors — serving on the border for over ONE YEAR! Also, remember and pray for the safety of all those soldiers and Marines who will soon be serving in a dangerous border operation and all federal, state, and local law enforcement who are on the new mission to protect you, your family, and our beloved nation.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
There is not just one photo of the week, but many. I have posted online (Flickr link) some of the pictures we snapped during our visit to the border. Please note we attempted to avoid photos of our deployed soldiers’ faces for their families’ safety. Also erased are imprinted names, sometimes on the back of their headgear. If they have names, the cartels are known to use photos to identify soldiers and go after their families. You will see the faces of Gen. McCarty and Gen. Stillwater and their staff, which have been approved.