Governor Parson Announces Deployment of 200 National Guard Members, 22 Highway Patrol Troopers to Texas Southern Border

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Jefferson City — Today, during a press conference at the State Capitol, Governor Mike Parson announced that the State of Missouri will be providing up to 200 Missouri National Guard (MONG) members and 22 Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) troopers to support Texas Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star mission at the Southern Border. 

"About two weeks ago, I visited the Southern Border, and let me not mince words when I say it is a crisis," Governor Parson said. "The crisis at the Southern Border is fueling the fentanyl crisis here in our state. Missourians are dying; families are being ripped apart; communities are being destroyed, and Missouri children are falling victim. It all stems from the Biden Administration's reckless, irresponsible, and failing open-border policies. With our Southern Border wide open, every state is now a border state." 

"President Biden and the federal government must step up to stop illegal entry into our nation, to stop the free flow of fentanyl into our communities, and combat the rise of human trafficking, but we've waited long enough. Missouri will act by deploying our own resources to secure our nation's border," Governor Parson continued. 

Governor Parson has issued Executive Order 24-03 to activate the MONG and the Governor's Office's discretionary emergency response fund. Governor Parson's plan to support border security along the Texas-Mexico border includes the following:

  • The deployment of up to 200 MONG members 
    • Guard members will be deployed on a rotating basis of approximately 30 days.
  • The deployment of up to 22 MSHP troopers 
    • Standard law enforcement equipment will accompany the troopers.
    • All MSHP troopers being deployed to the Southern Border have volunteered for the mission.
  • A $2.3 million supplemental budget request to the Missouri General Assembly to support border security efforts and backfill the Governor's Office's emergency response fund

MSHP troopers will begin active support by March 1, and MONG personnel will begin their mission on March 10. Advance and logistical planning for both deployments is currently underway in coordination with the State of Texas. 

MONG and MSHP personnel will be working to help secure the border, prevent illegal immigration, and stop illicit drug and human trafficking. 

MONG members will mainly assist in the construction of physical barriers and with security patrols as needed. MSHP troopers will work to support traffic enforcement, crime prevention, criminal interdiction, and other law enforcement agencies as needed. 

Statistics Related to Missouri and the Southern Border Crisis:

  • Nearly 10 million individuals have entered the U.S. illegally since 2021, including known gotaways at the Southern Border. 
    • That's larger than the population of 40 U.S. States, including Missouri.
  • Operation Lone Star alone has seized over 460 million lethal doses of fentanyl at the Southern Border.
    • That's enough fentanyl to kill every American citizen with more than 100 million doses left over. 
  • The Missouri State Highway Patrol seized nearly 12,500 grams of fentanyl in 2023 alone. 
    • That's enough to kill Missouri's entire population twice over. 
  • Since 2017, fentanyl overdoses have increased in Missouri by nearly 135 percent - with 75 percent of that increase occurring since 2020. 
  • At the last statewide report in 2022, 43 Missouri children died from fentanyl exposure. 

To view Executive Order 24-03, click here.