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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday announced he will send state troopers and Utah National Guard members to the southern border in Texas after receiving emergency aid requests from the Lone Star State.
The Utah National Guard will send five soldiers from its engineer battalion on Feb. 26 to help maintain military equipment at the border, and the Utah Highway Patrol will send one sergeant and four troopers from its Criminal Interdiction Team, which specializes in drug investigations. The law enforcement officers will be deployed for 30 days, and the soldiers for two weeks.
"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," Cox, a Republican, said 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."
Utah's answering Texas's call for help. Learn more here:https://t.co/yYgcapXSKhpic.twitter.com/IAx7cIFh8W
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) February 9, 2024
The request from Texas came through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and is estimated to cost about $150,000 for both troopers and guardsmen, which will be paid from the Governor's Office Emergency Fund.
Utah has sent troopers and Guard members to assist other states in previous years, including Hurricane Katrina response in 2005 and providing security at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2016, according to the governor's office.
Cox visited the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sunday along with governors from 14 other states.
Top Republican lawmakers praised Cox's decision and the willingness of Utah National Guard members and troopers to assist at the border.
"It's pretty amazing," said Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton. "Our National Guard's ready, willing and able to go anywhere. And the governor, I think, is right."
"This is a big issue," he added. "When you look at the number of people — just sheer ... numbers of people that have crossed the border — there's more than exist in many states, more than Wyoming, more than Alaska. And that's stunning when you have that many people who cross the border, so very supportive."
Diane Lewis, chairwoman of the Utah Democratic Party, issued a statement in response to Cox's announcement, accusing the governor of being "more interested in playing political games than getting important things done for the state of Utah."
"No matter how hard he tries to falsely justify his grandstanding through fearmongering, the fact is that we have far more pressing issues facing our state that we should be devoting time, energy and money to than posturing in an effort to please (former President) Donald Trump," Lewis continued. "Once again, if Cox and his Republican friends are so concerned about the border, they should be supporting the bipartisan proposal negotiated by President (Joe) Biden and Senate Republicans."
State Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City — who is running for Cox's seat this November — called the governor's announcement "disappointing," "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," he stated. "Utah has a proud tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants with open arms, understanding the importance of compassion and humanity in addressing complex issues."
Late last week, it appeared a bipartisan border and foreign aid package was poised to break the yearslong deadlock on immigration reform, after Biden and Senate Democrats agreed to link military aid to Ukraine with enhanced border security. The union for border patrol agents endorsed the proposal, but Senate Republicans ultimately abandoned the package at Trump's urging. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney supported the bipartisan deal, while Sen. Mike Lee opposed it.
Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday in Sierra Vista, Arizona, tying the threat of fentanyl trafficking to Utah's security interest. Rep. Blake Moore, another of Utah's GOP congressmen, met with Utah House Democrats on Thursday in Salt Lake City and called for better policy to address the influx of migrants at the border.
