RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday that he will be deploying troops from the National Guard to assist Texas with the Southern U.S. Border Crisis.
According to a press release, Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested on May 16 that states who are a part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) provide military support to assist at the U.S.-Mexico border. Per Gov. Abbotts’s request, Virginia will be sending 100 troops.
One of the problems being seen at the border includes the increase of illegal drugs coming in from Mexico and human trafficking. This comes after pandemic-related restrictions, known as Title 42, ended earlier this month. These restrictions allowed the U.S. to turn back migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border during that time to protect public health.
“Given the intensive resource demands on Texas, the dangers posed by the fentanyl crisis, and impact of the border crisis on criminal activity to the Commonwealth, Virginia will do its part to assist the State of Texas’ efforts with the coordinated deployment of Virginia National Guard soldiers to assist in key aspects of their mission,” Gov. Youngkin said in a statement.
According to Executive Directive Number Four, five Virginians die on average per day due to fentanyl. It also states that Virginia State Police have seized over 42 pounds of illegal fentanyl since last year.
The Executive Directive has taken effect on May 31 and will stay in effect until September 20, 2023.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
