Nebraska Army National Guard troops coming home Friday from border deployment

(The Center Square) - The 61 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers deployed at the U.S.-Mexico border will return home on Friday this week.

The troops have been in Texas since August 2, at the direction of Governor Jim Pillen.

“I know they will be happy to be reunited with their families,” Governor Pillen said in a press release. “Every member has represented Nebraska well during this tour of duty. I appreciate their commitment to carrying the work necessary to support Operation Lone Star.”

Pillen visited the troops last week and called his trip “eye-opening.”

Pillen joined Adjutant General Craig Strong on the trip.

“I am proud of our soldiers. They took on this deployment with a positive attitude and a desire to perform at the highest level,” Strong said in the release. “For many, it affirms the reason why they wanted to join the Guard – to make a difference for their country.”

While the governor visited the troops in Del Rio, Texas, he also traveled to Eagle Pass for border security briefings from Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Texas Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.

Governors Greg Abbott of Texas, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, and Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma also attended the briefings.

“It is becoming even more evident that President Biden and the Federal Government are not interested in addressing the growing issues at the border,” Pillen said in the release. “The number of criminals arrested is going up every day. Illegal drug seizures are increasing. We even saw video that clearly demonstrates the difficulties that law enforcement, border agents, and troops are having in stemming the tide of drug cartel members entering this country.”

Each governor got a personal helicopter tour that included a flyover of the border, including the Rio Grande River.

“During the ground briefing we were alerted to the fact that children are being used by the cartels to bring drugs into the U.S.,” Pillen said in the release. “Based on what I witnessed, that is not an exaggeration. That is part of what makes this a dire humanitarian crisis.”

Nebraska is among the 14 states sending troops and resources to support Operation Lone Star. Other states supporting the mission include: Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Texas.

“We are border states in that when problems are not stopped at the border, they become issues for other states to manage, even Nebraska,” Pillen said in the release. “For example, 426 million lethal doses of fentanyl have been seized, enough to kill every individual in this country, including our kids. Imagine how many drugs have slipped through the cracks including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and more. This is quite literally where we need to draw the line.”

Abbott, the governor of Texas, sent a letter to the country's governors in May, asking for border security assistance following President Biden’s decision to end Title 42.

“I hope other states will recognize the urgency of this situation and will act accordingly to support Texas,” Pillen said in the release.