Dramatic video footage posted Wednesday shows Texas National Guard troops in riot gear arriving at the southern border.
Numerous border cities, including El Paso Texas, had already issued state of emergency orders as tens of thousands of migrants swarmed the border in anticipation of entry.
A video from Brownsville, Texas shows a large contingent of national guardsmen equipped with riot gear and ballistic shields deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border. Another video showed guardsmen blocking a massive stream of migrants attempting to enter the country through the Rio Grande River.
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“Great work by Texas National Guard and Texas DPS,” wrote Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a tweet.
“Biden sent 1,500 troops to the border to do paperwork. Texas deployed trained soldiers and troopers to take real action and respond to this crisis.”
President Biden had previously deployed 1,500 troops to the southern border, though they were tasked with transporting and processing the massive flow of migrants rather than stopping the flow.
Biden shocked the nation on Wednesday by reverting a Trump-era immigration policy, while failing to reverse its decision on Title 42.
Migrants encountered under Title 42 were either returned to their country of origin, or to Mexico. According to data from US Customs and Border Protection, this policy has resulted in the expulsion of over 2.8 million migrants at the US-Mexico border since it was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Border officials warn that the expiration of Title 42 could lead to upwards of 700,000 migrants attempting to gain entry at the southern border.