Mastriano Calls for PA National Guard Deployment to Texas Border with Mexico
Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) – chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee – today called for Gov. Josh Shapiro to deploy Pennsylvania National Guard troops to Texas to support Operation Lone Star.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initiated Operation Lone Star in March 2021 in response to the unprecedented rise in illegal immigration. Operation Lone Star personnel work to detect and repel illegal crossings, arrest human smugglers and cartel gang members, and stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl.
“Reckless federal government policies have created a crisis at our nation’s southern border,” Mastriano said. “Every state is now a border state. Pennsylvania has a compelling interest to help secure the southern border of the United States. Fentanyl has flooded communities throughout our commonwealth, school districts are increasingly burdened, and strained social safety net funds are being diverted.”
According to a 2023 report, at least 251,000 illegal immigrants reside in Pennsylvania with an annual burden of more than $1.6 billion on taxpayers.
“Illegal immigration costs Pennsylvania taxpayers more than this year’s state budget allocated for the departments of Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Conservation and Natural Resources, Drug and Alcohol Programs, Environmental Services, Health, Military and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Labor and Industry, and State, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency combined,” Mastriano said. “The cost of illegal immigration is more than double the size of the increase in spending for the Department of Education in this year’s state budget.”
In May 2023, Abbott sent letters to governors requesting support for Operation Lone Star. So far, 14 states – Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming – have responded and deployed personnel and resources to secure the border.
“Securing our border is a bipartisan priority,” Mastriano said. “I am calling on the governor to deploy National Guard troops and resources to assist with Operation Lone Star. The inaction of the federal government to secure Pennsylvanians from the influx of deadly drugs into our communities has made this necessary.
“More than 276 years ago, Benjamin Franklin founded what is now our National Guard to provide a common defense of Pennsylvania in times of crisis. The lawlessness on the U.S. southern border, and its impacts upon the people of Pennsylvania, constitutes a crisis that calls for this response.”
I agree that there is a border problem so why don’t you support the U.S. Senate bipartisan bill that was recently released? This bill is supported by conservative Senate Republicans…..or would you turn your back on a responsible solution to appease Trump? Let’s see what you do…..
Jim, the U.S. Senate “bipartisan” bill is filled with bloatware! No one should support this bill. It’s not solely for the border – which it should be. This bill still allows for up to 5k migrants to enter before triggering the shutdown clause amongst other crazy things. The border needs to be SHUT DOWN now! They could close the NY/Canadian border in a matter of hours after that awful accident, but the ongoing invasion at the southern border is allowed? The fact that there are “Senate Republicans” who voted for this bill speaks volumes about their allegiance to the United States.
Ding Dong Doug is still an Insurrectionist!
Typical liberal, can’t see truth or get over anything.
Fuck you Liberals
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:34
Until this Fentanyl crisis is under control, ALL borders need to be closed. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I’d rather hurt the worlds feelings than watch any more families suffer and loved ones die due to this crisis.
Pennsylvania needs to support Texas by sending Pennsylvania national guard and State police. To stop the illegal invasion of our country
I suppose if coming off as a total crackpot is the only way to play to your base then some pols have no shame doing so. If doug wants more ideas for how to accomplish the above, how about closing off PA’s border (think floating barb wire and underwater sound detectors!) with Ontario, on Lake Erie, so none of those crazy, troublesome Canadians can get in! And then there’s red M&Ms, let’s ban the manufacture of them in good ‘ol Pennsylvania. And how about pronouns, we might should need to legislate against the common courtesy of addressing any other human being the way they prefer. And then there’s girls in boy’s sports, we don’t want girls playing on our high school football teams. And how about higher education, we should uphold free speech on campus so all those colleges and universities can’t think, talk or act in a way doug and followers don’t agree with.
We really need to get these crazies out of elective office at all levels. There in NOTHING different going on at the border with Mexico than has always been going on.
And what about the actions by the Republicans in Congress who are taking orders from Trump to block any sort of immigration reform package?
You also need to be deported, and until you are the illegal should all live in your house.