TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott credited the Texas National Guard, on Monday, with stopping over 26,000 potential smuggling events since the start of Operation Lone Star in March 2021.

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.

Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide. The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.

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

The death is the fifth suspected suicide by a National Guard member since Abbott ordered the massive troop deployment in September 2021.

A Texas National Guardsman died by suicide Tuesday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while on post in Eagle Pass along the U.S.-Mexico border.

CRITICS of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star have attacked it from every angle, as ineffective, unnecessary, illegal, or all of the above.

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.

Nueces County first responders worked with the Texas National Guard's 6th Civil Support Team to conduct hazmat response exercises in Corpus Christi.

Sgt. Alex Rios Rodriguez is at least the sixth member of the Texas Guard to die while on the governor's border crackdown.

Greg Abbott on Thursday issued an executive order authorizing the Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety to return people arrested in the country illegally to ports of entry on the border. However, the legality of the order is not immediately clear as ports of entry are operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a federal law enforcement agency. The Monitor is requesting clarity from local stakeholders and the federal government on the legalities of giving state agencies access to federal jurisdictions. Abbott, who is running for re-election, signed the executive order at 1 p.m. and issued a news release about 30 minutes later. Abbott’s release claims that 5,000 migrants were apprehended over the holiday weekend.

The move appears to put the Republican governor in violation of existing law that gives the federal government jurisdiction over immigration enforcement.

Flanked by members of the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, Gov. Yet, the latest intelligence provided by DPS and Texas National Guard suggested there is “some evidence” the caravans disbanded to some extent, Abbott said. It’s just that they may be coming in ones or twos as opposed to large caravans,” Abbott said. Members of the Texas National Guard are also preparing for mass migration events which can be mobile and accommodate different locations, the governor said. A command-and-control post was established by the Texas National Guard at the Anzalduas International Bridge in preparation for a mass-migration response, according to the governor’s office.

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.

State has the Texas National Guard here — have them help direct and organize, and test for COVID-19 as well as anything else we fear. Move some of those judicial sections down to the borders to help with processing asylum seekers. Folks from Ukraine, Central American countries and some South American countries need our help. Use our taxes as we see fit, not some wealthy yahoo who cares nothing for those in need. Also, if Jesus wanted prayers to be done in private, why do church buildings exist in every corner of the world?

AUSTIN (AP) — A Texas National Guard member who drowned on the U.S.-Mexico border while on duty was not equipped with a flotation device when he jumped in the Rio Grande to help a migrant who was stru[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Spc. Bishop Evans had been missing for three days before search crews found his body Monday.

Spc. Bishop Evans had been missing for three days before search crews found his body Monday.

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.

EAGLE PASS (AP) — Search crews on Monday recovered the body of a Texas National Guard member who went missing after jumping in the river on the U.S.-Mexico border to help a migrant who was struggling [San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

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.

EAGLE PASS (AP) — A Texas National Guard member was missing Friday after going into the river along the U.S.-Mexico border to help a migrant who was struggling to swim across, according to a local sheriff.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

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 migrants were trying to cross the border.

A Texas National Guard soldier drowned early Friday as he attempted to rescue migrants caught in the swift currents of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Tex. The Guard member was deployed as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's border security initiative, Operation Lone Star.

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.

The Texas Military Department says it is working to fix payroll issues and morale concerns among Guard troops stationed at the border.

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.

Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke made a brief visit to Laredo on Sunday and held a...

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.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says someone fired two shots from Mexico into Starr County on Thursday that the agency believes were aimed at the Texas National Guard.

AUSTIN (AP) — A Texas National Guard deployment along the U.S.-Mexico border will start helping troopers make arrests, Republican Gov.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the National Guard to assist law enforcement in arresting migrants at the border who break state laws.

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

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard on Tuesday requesting the help.

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.

click to enlarge Wikimedia Commons / Texas National GuardA patient recieves a nasopharygeal swab as part of a COVID-19 screening at a community based testing facility in Texas. Bexar County coronavirus hospitalizations hit 1,116 Tuesday, reaching their highest number since the surge that gripped San Antonio this summer.The escalating demand on local hospitals comes as Texas reached a new peak in COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, obliterating a previous record set in July. The previous record of 1,267 was set on July 13.“It looks pretty clear we’re going to go beyond that,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said during Tuesday evening press briefing.As of Tuesday, 314 of Bexar County patients are in intensive care and 170 are on ventilators. The influx of new patients leaves 13% of staffed beds and 52% of ventilators available.Metro Health reported 975 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 11 additional deaths. Officials also tallied 1,126 new cases from Monday, saying that a delay in receiving test results from the state yielded a false low for the day.

Texas must ramp up efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the state experiences a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 infections, according to White House guidelines. Texas is seeing an “unsustainable increase in hospitalizations” from the virus and “statewide mitigation must increase,” according to a White House Coronavirus Task Force report dated November 22. Greg Abbott did not immediately respond to emailed questions about whether the governor would adopt the White House report’s recommendations. Hospital administrators in North Texas, West Texas and the Panhandle have also expressed concern about climbing numbers of coronavirus hospitalizations. The White House report also calls on the state to ramp up coronavirus testing.

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).

A member of the Texas National Guard watches the Mexico-U.S. border from an outpost along the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas, U.S., April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Loren ElliottWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday it would send an additional 1,000 Texas National Guard and 1,100 active duty troops to the border with Mexico, the latest deployment in support of President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. There are currently about 4,500 active duty and National Guard troops on the border with Mexico. The Pentagon first approved the high-profile deployment of active-duty U.S. troops to the Mexico border in October, before the November congressional elections. Last month, Mexico has deployed almost 15,000 soldiers and National Guard in the north of the country to stem the flow of illegal immigration across the border into the United States.

A member of the Texas National Guard watches the Mexico-U.S. border from an outpost along the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas, U.S., April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Loren ElliottWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had approved a request to send an additional 1,000 Texas National Guard and 1,100 active duty troops to the border with Mexico, the latest deployment in support of President Donald Trumps controversial immigration crackdown. Major Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesman, told Reuters that acting Defense Secretary Richard Spencer had approved the additional troops on Tuesday night, and they would be assisting with tasks like logistical support and aerial surveillance. There are currently about 4,500 active duty and National Guard troops on the border with Mexico.