Since the 1880s, the United States has treated immigration policy and the corresponding border enforcement as a federal responsibility. While states have periodically supported federal efforts during specific historical moments, their role has traditionally been auxiliary and temporary. Today, the federal agency in charge of enforcing immigration policy at the border is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its components of the Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations. These agencies’ stated mission is to protect the American people, safeguard the nation’s borders, and enhance the United States’ economic prosperity by preventing the unauthorized entry of people and contraband and facilitating lawful trade and travel.
However, for more than a century, the Texas National Guard—and its earlier form as a state militia—played an active role in defending the Texas frontier. These early activities did not focus on immigration enforcement, and, instead, the soldiers engaged in repelling Native American raids on frontier settlements, suppressing internal uprisings, and defending against incursions along the contested Texas-Mexico border.
In recent years, the National Guard’s duties have evolved in response to shifting state and national priorities. Since the early 2000s, Texas authorities and the federal government have repeatedly sent Texas National Guard soldiers to the border to augment federal law enforcement. These soldiers conduct surveillance, construct border barriers, and support Border Patrol agents. Additionally, in March 2021, the Texas National Guard began its most recent and largest sustained deployment, Operation Lone Star, with thousands of soldiers continuously stationed along the border.
This report addresses three questions regarding the Texas National Guard along the Texas-Mexico border. These questions include: