Gov. Cox announces Utah will send law enforcement, National Guard to Texas border

SALT LAKE CITY  – Gov. Spencer Cox announced he will be sending some law enforcement officers and Utah National Guard members to the Texas border with Mexico.

According to a release from the governor’s office, Cox’s decision was in response to “emergency management assistance compact” requests from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard. Those requests came in just days after Cox visited the Texas border with 14 other governors.

Utah’s answering Texas’s call for help. Learn more here:https://t.co/yYgcapXSKh pic.twitter.com/IAx7cIFh8W

— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) February 9, 2024

On Feb. 26, the Utah National Guard will send five soldiers from the engineer battalion to maintain military equipment. One sergeant and four troopers from the Utah Highway Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction Team, which specializes in drug investigations will also be deployed to the area for 30 days.

“Open borders threaten our national security and if the president and Congress won’t solve the influx of people and drugs, states have to step up,” Cox said. “Right now, Texas needs our help and we’re grateful to our National Guard members, state Troopers, and their families for their willingness to serve and keep us safe.”

The estimated costs for these deployments will be nearly $150,000: $100,000 for the UHP monthlong deployment and $50,000 for the two-week deployment of Utah National Guard. Funding will come directly from the Governor’s Office emergency fund.

“In recent years, Utah has responded to several EMAC deployments including sending troopers and Guard members to assist with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and providing security at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016. Since 2018, the Utah National Guard has sent 226 Guard members to the border on various missions,” the release states.