Feds taking over Texas National Guard mission along border

The billions of dollars that Texas has spent on border security in recent years will no longer include a lengthy Texas National Guard deployment.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday Guard members who remain on the U.S.-Mexico border will begin taking federal orders this month.

“I am grateful that the federal government and Congressional appropriators are stepping up and dedicating additional resources to provide for the safety and security of all Texans,” Abbott said in a statement.

The transition comes three years after Texas started using the Guard in a largely surveillance role.

Lt. Col. Travis Walters is a spokesman with the Texas Air National Guard. He says about 100 service members remain on the mission.

Walter says the federal government will pay more than $2 million to fund them through September.

Abbott signed a new state budget in June that includes spending another $800 million on border security through 2019.

State representative Cesar Blanco said he believes the state is spending too much money on border security, and think the federal funding will help.

“We need to be smart. We need to be responsible with tax payers’ dollars, and make sure that that funding now is reallocated to something more productive such as education, veterans and health care,” Blanco said.

State senator Jose Rodriguez said he still thinks the operation isn’t necessary.

“The federal government now picking up the tab simply transfers the waste of money to the federal level, while militarizing our border,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “We need more smart investment in our ports, so that both people and goods can cross efficiently and securely, not more militarization.”