Abbott says Texas National Guard now authorized to make immigration arrests

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R ) authorized the state’s National Guard to arrest illegal immigrants in an effort to support the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

“The Trump administration reached out to see if we would be interested in doing that, and I immediately said yes," Abbott said Monday in an interview with CBS News. "For one, the National Guard has been down on the border for years now under the Biden administration, but they did not have the full authority that the federal government immigration officers had."

“Now they do because of this agreement," he continued. "It is needed because of this."

The governor, who is known for his strict enforcement policies, cited the administration's need of manpower to secure the border as his reasoning for the move.

“Trump inherits a federal government that ... is short-handed for ICE, for Border Patrol, for other people who are involved in the immigration control process,” Abbott said Monday.

“We can make sure that they immediately, overnight, have additional personnel who can help enforce the immigration laws," he added. "And that's why I wanted to do it."

The GOP governor said he signed an agreement between Texas and Trump's Customs and Border Protection where the Lone Star State's National Guard is granted the power of immigration officials to make migrant arrests effective immediately, according to a Sunday post on social platform X.

Under the current terms, Texas will not be reimbursed for undertaking the new measure.

The order follows other directives to state agencies including the Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety to employ tactical strike teams at the Southern border to decrease crossings in conjunction with Trump's agenda.

Abbott also spurred "Operation Lone Star," which focuses heavily on stemming illegal immigration from the U.S.-Mexico border. The governor has cited grievances for monetary expenditures needed to secure the border and has asked Congress to pay the state $11.1 billion for spending related to the immigration crackdown in recent years.

“I will be going to Washington, D.C. next week to further work on that effort,” Abbott told CBS.

“The response has been strong," he continued in the interview. "One hundred percent of the people say Texas deserves it. They want to support it."

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