Gov. Spencer Cox to send Utah National Guard, Troopers to U.S. southern border
NEWS RELEASE
Feb. 9, 2024
Contact:
Emma Williams
Office of the Governor
(385) 303-4383, ewilliams@utah.gov
Gov. Spencer Cox to send Utah National Guard, Troopers to U.S. southern border
SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 9, 2024) – Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox announced he will be sending law enforcement and Utah National Guard members to the Texas border after Utah’s Department of Public Safety and Utah National Guard received Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) requests from their Texas counterparts. The EMACs came days after Gov. Cox visited the border with 14 fellow governors.
On Feb. 26, Utah National Guard will send five Soldiers from the UTNG engineer battalion to maintain military equipment on the southern border. That same day, one Sergeant and four Troopers from the Utah Highway Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction Team, which specializes in drug investigations, will be deployed for 30 days.
“Open borders threaten our national security and if the president and Congress won’t solve the influx of people and drugs, states have to step up,” said Gov. Cox. “Right now, Texas needs our help and we’re grateful to our National Guard members, state Troopers and their families for their willingness to serve and keep us safe.”
The Utah Highway Patrol estimates the month-long deployment will cost nearly $100,000 while the two-week deployment of Utah National Guard members will cost about $50,000. Funding will come from the Governor’s Office Emergency Fund.
In recent years, Utah has responded to several EMAC deployments including sending Troopers and Guard members to assist with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and providing security at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016. Since 2018, the Utah National Guard has sent 226 Guard members to the border on various missions.
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