SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox will order Utah National Guard troops to go to the southern border in Texas.
It follows a request from Texas authorities, the governor's office said Friday. Gov. Cox has agreed to send five soldiers from the Utah National Guard's engineer battalion to maintain military equipment on the southern border. Five others who work for Utah's Department of Public Safety who specialize in drug investigations will be deployed for a month.
The governor visited the southern border with other governors from across the nation last week.
“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,” said Gov. Cox in a statement. “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.”
It will cost about $150,000 in taxpayer dollars out of the governor's emergency fund.
The governor has deployed troops to help with 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.
On Utah's Capitol Hill on Friday, Republican leaders supported the move.
"I'm fully supportive of standing with Texas, standing with our governor and making sure we secure our border," said House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.
Democrats in the Utah State Legislature disagreed.
"It's disappointing to see Governor Cox prioritize political stunts over the needs of Utahns. Spending our hard-earned tax dollars to intervene in someone else’s priority that doesn't directly impact our state is fiscally irresponsible and a waste of resources. Let's be clear: Utah is not a border state, and we shouldn't be diverting your tax dollars to fight Washington's culture wars," said Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, who is challenging Cox in the race for governor.
Congressman John Curtis has introduced a bill to reimburse states for money spent securing the border.
“I regret that the President and Secretary Mayorkas have been negligent in their duty to secure the border and created a situation where states feel it is necessary to act individually,” he said in a recent statement announcing the bill. "Congress has the power of the purse, and we must support these states spending dollars to end this humanitarian crisis. It is enabling fentanyl trafficking that hurts Utahns."
