LINCOLN- More than 60 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers are headed to Texas this week to help that state secure its border with Mexico. Gov. Jim Pillen announced the deployment Monday. The troops represent the second group of Nebraskans sent to support Operation Lone Star, an initiative launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to ramp up enforcement of the country’s southern border.

The Nebraska group left this week and return in early September. Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, state public affairs officer for the Guard, said the deployment involves troops from multiple units. He said all received orders to go but were able to opt-out if the mission would create a hardship for them. He said the Nebraska soldiers will assist the Texas National Guard by observing and reporting border crossings.

Pillen, who joined other Republican governors at a May security briefing hosted by Abbott, called the mission “critical to the security of Nebraska as well as other states.” Abbott began Operation Lone Star in March 2021, arguing that the federal government was not doing enough to secure the border. The Texas Legislature authorized nearly $2 billion for the effort, which involves the State Department of Public Safety and the Texas Guard.

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