Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Friday that Texas will construct a “Forward Operating Base” in the Del Rio sector at the border to house Texas National Guard soldiers who are managing the ongoing unlawful migration crisis.
The Texas Military Department acquired 80 acres of land in Eagle Pass that will be used for the base, which will be able to house up to 1,800 state National Guard soldiers at any time, with the potential to accommodate an additional 500 soldiers, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
This base is also expected to have multiple facilities, including a 700-seat dining facility, a recreation center, laundry facilities, WiFi access, individual rooms for soldiers starting at 118 square feet, chaplaincy programs, and health facilities.
During a press conference about the base, Abbott said its purpose was to help “a larger number of Texas Military Department soldiers in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and efficiently.”
“Texas is expanding our border security capabilities by building a new Texas Military Department base camp to increase and improve border security operations in this area,” continued the governor, according to the press release.
“Before now, the Texas National Guard had been scattered across this entire region in cramped quarters, away from fellow soldiers, and sometimes traveling long distances to do their job. This base camp is going to dramatically improve conditions for our soldiers,” he said. “Texas would not be able to respond to President Biden’s border crisis without the brave men and women of the Texas National Guard, and it is essential to build this base camp for them.”
Abbott was joined at the press conference by Texas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, who applauded the governor for his actions to protect the border.
This announcement comes as the state continues to deal with the crisis at the southern border due to the unprecedented levels of unlawful migration.
The development of a new operations camp for National Guard soldiers is one of many measures taken by Texas to manage the crisis, some of which resulted in legal battles with the federal government.
Texas is currently involved in legal battles over a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, concertina wire placed along the border, and a new state law making unlawful migration a crime.
The most recent legal development revolves around a hearing over Texas’ SB 4, which allows state law enforcement officers to apprehend migrants suspected of entering Texas unlawfully.
While U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra appeared skeptical of the law during the hearing last week, he said that he would make a decision before the March 5 date the law is scheduled to go into effect, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
