Iowa Gov. Reynolds uses COVID-19 relief funds to send National Guard to southern border

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is using funds from a COVID-19 relief package to finance a deployment of her state's National Guard to the southern border.

The state has sent 109 of its National Guardsmen to Texas to bolster to the Lone Star State's efforts to combat rising illegal migration and trafficking across the Mexican frontier, the governor's office stated.

"All costs will be covered by federal funding allocated to Iowa from the American Rescue Plan. States are given flexibility in how this funding can be used provided it supports the provision of government services," Reynolds' office stated in a press release.

Those 109 troops will remain at the border until Sept. 1, 2023, and will be tasked with "deterring illegal border crossings and preventing the trafficking of illegal substances by cartels through Texas."

The state National Guard has previously deployed to the southern border twice since 2020. It is, however, the first such deployment to support a state mission, in this case Texas's Operation Lone Star.

"On his first day in office, President Biden reversed commonsense policies that protected the U.S. Southern border and American citizens," Reynolds said. "Since that time, our country has experienced a historic rise in illegal immigrants and illicit drugs entering our country. Two years later, every state is a border state, and Iowa’s unique location at the intersection of two major interstates makes it a target for human traffickers and drug cartels."

"Since the administration refuses to invest in securing the border and protecting its citizens, Texas has asked other states to help, and Iowa is ready and willing to assist," she continued. "Iowa is deploying National Guard troops and personnel from the Department of Public Safety to protect the citizens and interests of our state by supporting Operation Lone Star and helping secure the U.S. Southern border."

Texas has moved to defend the border in the perceived absence of federal support. The Department of Justice has since pursued legal action against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over some of the state's efforts to deter migration.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.