(NewsNation) — Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled plans for a new military base outside Eagle Pass amid his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over how best to secure the southern border.
Abbott announced the new infrastructure, called the “Forward Operating Base,” on Monday. The base will accommodate up to 2,300 National Guard soldiers and is the largest military infrastructure Abbott has erected under Operation Lone Star.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd says the new base will help reduce cartel activity in the state.
“It just continues to put pressure on the cartels, and anytime that he does that, it causes the cartels to rethink about what their operations are going to be in that in that particular area. Texas has dropped to where Del Rio was the leading sector in apprehensions to now that they’re the fourth sector in apprehensions, and that’s strictly based upon what Governor Abbott has done,” Judd said.
The 80-acre property along the Rio Grande will open a short distance from Shelby Park, the riverfront area where Texas National Guard members have installed miles of razor wire and began denying access to U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The plans for the base were announced as Republican governors from several states pledged to send members of their National Guard to help at the Texas border. This includes Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who says he will send a team of 15 to 20 guard members to help build the command post for the Texas guard.
Kemp first deployed troops to the border in 2019. Twenty-nine guard members are still deployed offering surveillance for Texas.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu also announced he would deploy 15 volunteer National Guard soldiers to the Texas-Mexico border for 90 days. In November, he deployed nearly 165 members for a yearlong stint at the border.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem are also among the lawmakers sending in resources to help Abbott.
The U.S. surpassed 1 million migrant encounters this fiscal year, down from the previous year, sources tell NewsNation. But Texas is seeing a slight increase in migrant encounters despite some of the traffic shifting to the Tuscon sector and the San Diego sector.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.