TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD

Sixteen Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the country through Texas were flown to California by chartered plane and dropped off outside a church in Sacramento.

The mistake meant about 7,400 soldiers sent to the Texas-Mexico border under Operation Lone Star were hit with higher-than-expected federal income taxes.

The legislation was named for Bishop Evans, who drowned last year trying to rescue migrants in the Rio Grande.

Although border encounters have fallen since Title 42 ended Thursday, Texas’ top Republican asks for “all available law enforcement personnel and resources.”

Despite no major influx in border crossings, state troopers will be relocated to border cities. Austin and the Texas Department of Public Safety faced criticism for the racial disparities in state trooper arrests in the capital.

While the state guarantees law enforcement officers, like Department of Public Safety troopers, a $500,000 death benefit for their families if they die on duty, National Guard troops who stand shoulder to shoulder with those DPS officers on Operation Lone Star don’t have the same benefit.

State officials have repeatedly had to move money from other departments to keep Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border mission running this year.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will be at the border on Monday to provide an update on his immigration measures.

The court ordered the Biden administration to continue enforcing the policy while Texas and other states that want to keep the Trump-era rule in place prepare their legal arguments.

The service member is expected to recover.

A governor’s military powers are often not discussed as part of the election process, in favor of other prominent issues like education and taxes. But with Operation Lone Star in plain view, voters may have more questions this election.

The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.

In a Sept. 3 story about the deaths of migrants trying to cross into the United States from Mexico, The Associated Press misspelled the name of a Mexican city.

At least eight migrants were killed as dozens attempted a hazardous crossing of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, officials said Friday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday toured Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety border security assets along the Texas-Mexico Border in Eagle Pass.

Spc. Bishop Evans died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save migrants. He and other members of Operation Lone Star were not provided safety equipment. Texas Military Department said an order for buoys and ropes was made but has not been fulfilled.

Spc. Bishop E. Evans, a 22-year-old field artilleryman from Arlington, joined the Texas Army National Guard in 2019.

The body of missing Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop E. Evans has been found.

Authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border are searching for a Texas National Guard member who they say went missing after trying to rescue a migrant in the Rio Grande.

The brigadier general steps down from commanding Operation Lone Star’s military efforts after five months.

Boat blockades, container and razor wire at low-water crossings, enhanced vehicle inspections along the border and even bus transportation will take processed and released migrants to Washington D.C. in an effort to alleviate stress on the system in Texas.

Nobody wants storms or fires. But for Texas politicians, responding to disasters can be a welcome change of subject from political fights in an election year.

The departure of three top officials in a week signals that officials may be looking to make changes to the heavily criticized mission. A soldier leading a unionization effort welcomed the moves.

The dispatching of troops to the sprawling private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year.

Frustration, anxiety and anger prevailed in the survey responses obtained by the The Texas Tribune and Military Times. The survey includes responses from nearly 250 members of Task Force South, one of six units that fall under the umbrella of Operation Lone Star.

The soldier was injured in Bracketville and airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio where they were pronounced dead.

The governor has sent waves of troops to the border as Guard officials scramble to execute a massive mobilization that would normally take months to plan. Some Guard members say the operation has set back their income, education and well-being.

The call for action from Texas Democrats comes as another service member based in the city of Pharr survived a suicide attempt on Sunday, according to an incident report obtained by Army Times and The Texas Tribune.

Abbott said the suicides are being investigated and thinks it will come out that not all “actually occurred during Operation Lone Star.”

Recent reports from the Army Times into poor conditions and an uptick in suicides among Texas National Guard soldiers tied to Operation Lone Star has state lawmakers concerned over how the soldiers are being treated.

Legislative leaders overseeing the Texas Military Department say they are looking into reports of suicides, habitual pay problems and poor working conditions on Gov. Greg Abbott's highly touted border mission.

Abbott’s political challenger said guard members deployed to Operation Lone Star are facing late pay, being exposed to COVID-19, experiencing supply shortages and dealing with added stress that has led to multiple suicides tied to the mission.

The Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety have put up a steel container wall along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass.

In a letter to the major general of the Texas National Guard, Abbott said “more manpower is needed” at the border.

Gov. Greg Abbott encouraged “groups of Texans who wish to get vaccinated as a business, family unit, friend group, or more” to schedule an event.

Soldiers with the Texas National Guard worked at mobile COVID-19 testing site at Uhland Elementary School on June 18, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Ad“The good news is there’s going to be a record amount of vaccines available across Texas this week with increasing numbers going forward,” he said. Officials have hinted the next group of vaccine eligible Texans could include teachers and other essential workers. AdThe program is modeled in part after the Save Our Seniors program in Corpus Christi, where Abbott made his remarks Thursday. There, some 2,000 doses have been given to homebound seniors through the local program, officials said.

Soldiers with the Texas National Guard work at a drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Smithville on May 5, 2020. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that National Guard troops will vaccinate residents in five rural counties as part of a new pilot program. (Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK)Starting Thursday, state mobile vaccination teams staffed by Texas National Guard members will be deployed to five rural Texas counties to administer coronavirus vaccines to qualified residents. National Guard teams will visit DeWitt, Marion, Real, Sherman and Starr counties as part of a newly-created State Mobile Vaccine Pilot Program announced by Gov. On Wednesday, President Biden ordered full reimbursement to states that use the National Guard to increase the pace of vaccinations nationally.

The Texas Army National Guard said Monday that up to 1,000 troops could be dispatched to cities across Texas ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Brandon Jones, a spokesperson for the Guard, said the deployment is not related to the election and troops would not be stationed at polling places. The newspaper reported that Guard members could arrive as soon as this weekend. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has not been contacted by either Abbott or the Guard about the deployment, spokesperson Mary Benton told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday. Separately, the FBI’s field office in Dallas warned that far-right extremists could pose a violent threat in North Texas around the election.

FORT HOOD, Texas A Texas Army National Guard soldier has died during a training exercise at Fort Hood, according to the Texas Military Department. Bradley Moore, 36, of Mansfield died Thursday during land navigation training according to a news release on the department's website. The military is a family, and the entire Texas National Guard mourns with Sgt. Moores loved ones left behind.At least four Fort Hood Army soldiers have been found dead near the base since June, including Spc. Investigators have said Guillen was killed by a fellow soldier and foul play is suspected in Morales' death.

AUSTIN, Texas Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday activated the Texas National Guard and deployed state resources in response to the protests taking place regarding the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck in Minnesota. Abbott sent resources to the cities of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin to maintain public safety. DPS has sent more than 1,500 officers to assist local police departments and more resources will be provided as needed. As Texans exercise their 1st Amendment rights, it is imperative that order is maintained and private property is protected.

NEW BRAUNFELS – The New Braunfels Fire Department will begin conducting COVID-19 tests at four of Comal County’s six nursing homes. Greg Abbott to have Texas National Guard help disinfect nursing homesO’Connell said they will be testing about 1,200 people over the next four days. He said they will begin with testing staff. “Once they get most of the staff tested, the staff can then assist them in testing the residents,” O’Connell said. Thousands of Texas nursing home residents, staff have tested positive for coronavirusA spokesperson for Comal County said they haven’t had any positive test come from nursing homes yet.

Greg Abbott on Wednesday announced that he will have the Texas National Guard help to disinfect nursing homes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, per a press release. The disinfection teams will work in conjunction with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and will provide a boost to protecting Texans. “The Texas National Guard plays a crucial role in our ongoing response to COVID-19, and I am grateful for their work to address the unique challenges our nursing homes face during this pandemic,” Abbott said. “The Texas National Guard readily accepts this newest mission assignment,” said Major General Tracy Norris. We stand ready to continue to serve both here at home and abroad in the war fight.”The Texas National Guard was already providing personal protective equipment manufacturing support, food bank support, mobile COVID-19 testing, and points of distribution for essential items, the press release said.

FLORESVILLE – Gillespie County and Wilson County were named as sites to be visited by the Texas National Guard for setting up mobile COVID-19 testing. So far in Wilson County, Floresville’s Frank M. Tejeda Texas State Veterans Home has seen several cases of the virus. At least 10 residents, 5 staff have COVID-19 at Floresville veteran’s home; 159 tests still pendingFloresville Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel said about 30 other Wilson County residents have been tested for the coronavirus so far. According to the governor’s office, the Texas National Guard mobile testing team has the capacity to test 150 people per day. Texas National Guard to deploy mobile testing sites across state, starting in Floresville, Fredericksburg

SAN ANTONIO – More than 1,200 members of the Texas National Guard will fan out across the state and set up two dozen mobile COVID-19 testing sites, Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday. “The State of Texas continues to expand our COVID-19 testing capacities and ensure that communities across the Lone Star State have access to the resources they need,” said Abbott in an emailed statement. Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas National Guard will be mobilizing more than 1,200 personnel as part of COVID-19 mobile testing teams (MTT). “COVID-19 testing is a crucial mission in our fight against this virus,” said Maj. Gen. Tracy R. Norris, adjutant general of Texas, in an email statement. Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas National Guard will be mobilizing more than 1,200 personnel as part of COVID-19 mobile testing teams (MTT).