Lee Declares Southern Border A ‘National Security Crisis’
Photo: Gov. Lee and Major Gen. Holmes attending briefing at Southern Border.
Photo Credit: tn.gov
Published July 13, 2021
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Nashville, TN – Over the weekend, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee traveled to the U.S. Southern Border to meet with Tennessee National Guards troops and receive briefings regarding the skyrocketing rate of illegal crossings and criminal activities.
“Tennesseans serve on the front lines of the Southern border crisis, and it has rapidly escalated to not just a matter of public safety, but a threat to our country’s national security,” said Gov. Lee. “Americans owe these troops a debt of gratitude for their service, and the federal government owes Americans a plan to restore both our border security and our standing as a global power.”
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Tennessee Adjutant General Jeff Holmes accompanied Gov. Lee and First Lady Maria Lee to spend time with troops and thank them for their service.
Gov. Lee and Major Gen. Holmes also participated in a series of briefings regarding illegal crossings with origins from 56 countries, drug seizures and other exploitive crimes like human trafficking.
“What I saw at the border is unsustainable for our country and should be number one priority for national security,” said Gov. Lee. “Tennessee will always step up and serve, but we need immediate reinforcements, like a finished border wall, to ensure our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to do their job.”
300 Tennessee National Guard Troops are stationed at the Border.
Tennessee National Guard serve at the Southern border in the following support capacities:
- 269th Military Police Company – Routinely augments law enforcement by conducting training and providing a presence along the border
- 913th Engineer Company – Capabilities lend to myriad road building efforts and border wall projects
- 2-151 Aviation Battalion – Provides an aerial platform to assist Customs and Border Protection with a number of their logistical and operational priorities
Tennessee troops have been at the border since October 1st and are expected to remain on site the through the end of this federal fiscal year. This means they could return in October 2021, but Lee said week before last that they would stay at the border “so long as there’s a crisis.”
Last week, Casey Black, a spokesperson from Governor Lee’s office, stated that Tennessee is “evaluating further help” but has not yet decided if the state will send state troopers to assist as well.
