Tennessee has 300 National Guard troops at the southern border, Gov. Bill Lee says
Natalie Allison
There are 300 members of the Tennessee National Guard currently deployed at the nation's southern border, a mission that began last fall and will likely span a year, Gov. Bill Lee's office confirmed Thursday.
After South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced this week a Tennessee megadonor is footing the bill for her state to send 50 National Guard troops to the southern border, The Tennessean asked Lee if he was planning to send troops.
They're already there, Lee replied.
"We’ve had National Guard on the border on and off for many months, if not years," the governor said after a bill signing ceremony on Wednesday. "There's a break in service between them, but right now we have 300."
Lee said the Tennessee National Guard members are "performing a number of duties" at the border.
"We have no plans to change that," he said. "We're happy to join South Dakota, or have South Dakota join us, in that."
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Troops assisting with engineering, logistics, security
After a Tennessean request for information, Lee's office on Thursday said members of the 269th Military Police Company are helping train law enforcement and are supplementing the police presence at the border, while engineers from the 913th Company are assisting with road construction and border wall projects. The 2nd Battalion of the 151st Aviation Regiment is helping Customs and Border Protection.
The Tennessee National Guard's current mission began Oct. 1, 2020, and is expected to last through the end of the current federal fiscal year, meaning a possible October 2021 return, according to the governor's office.
Lee said Wednesday the Tennessee troops will remain at the border "so long as there's a crisis."
He and other Republican officials in the state are critical of President Biden's administration for failing to take substantial action to secure the border as historically high numbers of migrants try to cross.
Tennessee National Guard troops have assisted with missions at the border in various capacities for more than 15 years, including supporting President George W. Bush's 2006 "Operation Jump Start" to help secure the border. Gov. Phil Bredesen at the time was among the first governors in the country to send troops, and only Texas and California sent more National Guard troops than Tennessee.
During Gov. Bill Haslam's tenure, the Tennessee National Guard primarily provided aviation support, according to information provided by Lee's office.
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Other GOP governors sending troops, state law enforcement
Republican governors in Arizona and Texas in recent months have deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to the border, the Associated Press reported.
Earlier this month, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to all U.S. governors asking them to send law enforcement officers to the Mexico border, citing the need to apprehend "perpetrators of state and federal crimes before they can cause problems in border states and all states across the nation."
Governors in Florida, Idaho and Nebraska have agreed to temporarily send a limited number of state police and troopers to the border.
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"We're evaluating further help, given the level of crisis and the 300 personnel we have at the border already," Lee's spokesperson Casey Black said of whether Tennessee will send troopers.
On Tuesday, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced he had approved the deployment of up to 40 troops to the border for 90 days, but declined to provide state police.
The South Dakota National Guard deployment is being paid for by a $1 million donation from Franklin-based billionaire Willis Johnson through a foundation he established with his wife, Reba.
The Tennessee businessman and major Republican political donor founded Copart, a junk vehicle salvage and auction company.
Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.
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