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With this new designation the Texas National Guard soldiers now have the authority to apprehend and detain individuals who cross the border illegally, moving beyond their previous roles of observation and assistance.
By Levi Gwaltney
Source: Customs and Border Protection
Photo: Courtesy
Release Date: Thursday, 02/27/2025
US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION NEWS RELEASE, EL PASO, Texas —United States Border Patrol, El Paso Sector Interim Chief Walter N. Slosar officially deputized Texas National Guard soldiers under Title 8 today, granting them the authority to carry out immigration enforcement duties.
Sixty soldiers from the Texas Military Department took the oath to support the U.S. Border Patrol in its mission to enforce immigration laws. With this new designation the Texas National Guard soldiers now have the authority to apprehend and detain individuals who cross the border illegally, moving beyond their previous roles of observation and assistance.
“The brave men and women of the National Guard raised their hands today and swore an oath to defend this nation’s borders. They now stand alongside our Border Patrol Agents to enforce U.S. immigration laws and secure the border,” said the El Paso Sector Interim Chief Walter N. Slosar. “Together, they secure our borders with the strength and commitment the American people deserve. We are proud to serve beside them in this mission.”
The new deputization enables the Texas National Guard to actively make arrests at the direction and supervision of a Border Patrol Agent. Nearly 1,500 National Guard soldiers from across the U.S. continue to provide support along the southern border. Additionally, almost 5,000 Texas National Guard members remain in the field under Operation Lone Star, working alongside federal and state law enforcement to tackle illegal crossings and criminal activity.
With their expanded role, these National Guard soldiers will provide critical support, working hand-in-hand with Border Patrol to secure the El Paso Sector and uphold the rule of law along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509.
Why should our broader community care?
Challenge Coin
The El Paso Sector challenge coin, incorporating elements such as the U.S. flag, representations of Texas and New Mexico, and the motto, “Where the Legend Began.”
Source: Customs and Border Protection
El Paso Sector Texas
The El Paso Border Patrol Sector was established on July 1, 1924, under the authority of the Immigration Act approved by Congress on May 28, 1924. This Act created the Border Patrol as a uniformed law enforcement branch of the Immigration Bureau. The original El Paso Sector encompassed New Mexico and the three western counties of Texas. The first officers selected for the new Border Patrol came from the old mounted guards and Civil Services Register for Railway Mail Clerks.
Area of Responsibility
Today, the El Paso Sector is one of nine Border Patrol Sectors that run along the Southwest Border of the United States with Mexico. The sector is comprised of eleven stations and covers the geographical region of the entire state of New Mexico as well as two counties within far west Texas.
The stations that make up the El Paso sector are:
- Alamogordo, New Mexico
- Deming, New Mexico
- El Paso, Texas
- Clint, Texas
- Fort Hancock, Texas
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Lordsburg, New Mexico
- Santa Teresa, New Mexico
- Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
- Ysleta, Texas
The El Paso Sector patrols 268 miles of international border and encompasses 125,500 square miles.
After the 60 Texas National Guard troops were sworn in by Interim Sector Chief Walter N. Slosar, KTSM News 9 interviewed West Texas Regional Director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Jose Sanchez (full video, below). Sanchez had this to say about where these newly deputized soldiers will be stationed: “They’re going to be located wherever Border Patrol needs them, so it’s going to be high threat areas; it’s all going to be determined by Border Patrol. You know, if we have an area such as Mount Cristo Rey, Mount Cristo Rey’s been a hot spot for a long time, if they feel the need, that they need more manpower there, then they are going to direct those forces in that way.“
There is a problem with Director Sanchez’s suggestion… Mount Cristo Rey is not in Texas. Mount Cristo Rey is in the sovereign state of New Mexico.
Austin, We Have a Problem
But, wait… aren’t there already National Guard Troops monitoring the border in New Mexico? Yes, there are quite a few soldiers stationed in New Mexico from states as far away as Ohio, but there is a significant difference between the Title 10 authorized, and federalized troops under the auspices of the U.S Northern Command, and soldiers deputized under Title 8 and ultimately under the authority of Texas Governor, Greg Abbott.
Las Cruces Digest has confirmed with U.S. Northern Command that no Title 10 activated troops have been deputized under Title 8. We have also confirmed with the Office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that no discussions about the deployment of Texas National Guard troops in New Mexico have occurred, and that there “are no agreements in place between New Mexico and Texas” regarding the deployment of Texas National Guard forces in New Mexico. Furthermore, no permission has been granted for Governor Abbott to deploy his National Guard Forces in New Mexico.
Three Reasons Why Deploying “Abbott’s Army” Into Our Broader Community Is a Really Bad Idea
Reason 1: The U.S. Border Patrol is accomplishing its field missions in New Mexico without any help from Texas warfighters:
On Monday, USBP agents in Las Cruces, NM, discovered 19 illegal aliens in a stash house. Now, the smugglers face felony prosecution for Conspiracy to Transport (8USC1324), others will be prosecuted for felony illegal re-entry (8USC1326).
We are working around the clock to shut down criminal operations.
Source: U.S. Border Patrol (via Facebook)
This post is from this past Monday, March 3, 2025.
Reason 2: Given the extra gusto the U.S. Border Patrol has exhibited at area checkpoints of late, the thought of Texas warfighters handling law enforcement in New Mexico is chilling–imagine soldiers boarding a busload of our school children (See: “U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez Condemns Reports that Border Patrol Harassed Las Cruces Students, Demands Answers“), or Texas National Guard engaging in high-speed chases down New Mexico highways:
On Sunday, a Mexican citizen sped past a checkpoint inspection in Las Cruces, NM, trying to evade USBP. The driver recklessly swerved through traffic before coming to a stop-where five individuals bailed out, attempting to flee.
Source: U.S. Border Patrol (via Facebook)
- Driver now faces prosecution for high-speed flight (18USC758) and conspiracy to transport, harbor, and smuggle illegal aliens (8USC1324)
- One illegal alien will be prosecuted for felony illegal re-entry (8USC1326)
- Three others will be prosecuted for illegal entry (8USC1325)
“Checkpoints are a vital second layer of security, helping protect our border and enforce the law,” the post concluded.
This incident occurred Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Reason 3: New Mexico’s Mount Cristo Rey is already secured by U.S. Northern Command troops, federal Army forces authorized under Title 10. In other words, New Mexico is a hill that has already been taken:
This Department of Defense photo has the following caption: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection truck, manned by U.S. Army Soldiers, surveys the border at Mount Cristo Ray, Sunland Park, New Mexico, February 20, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border with additional military forces. This initial deployment of more than 1,600 active-duty personnel brings the total military Title 10 forces along the border to approximately 4,000 personnel.
Are You Paying Attention, Bimidji?
What the rest of the country may not know about our broader community is the longstanding, constant pressure placed on our civil liberties that we have grown to accept as a mere inconvenience. We live in an actively monitored area within the “100-Mile Border Zone”.
In short, the “100-Mile Border Zone” grants authority to Customs and Border Protection agents to exercise any authority they would normally have at a border port of entry up to a distance of 100 miles from the border. These authorities include:
- Boarding buses and trains without a warrant within the 100-mile zone.
- Searching vehicles and electronic devices within the 100-mile zone.
- Setting up permanent and temporary checkpoints within the 100-mile zone.
- Conducting roving stops within the 100-mile zone.
These authorities are “normalized” here, and you will hear little objection from those who live in our broader community to the normal law enforcement activities surrounding U.S. Border Patrol operations. The checkpoints surrounding our broader community have been in place for as long as most can remember, but the recent boarding of a busload of high school students on their way to Albuquerque shocked many, here. The Border Patrol response claimed the incident was “routine”. It may have been routine, but was certainly not normal.
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If red flags start flying here, it might be time for other parts of the country to start paying attention. This problem is not just a New Mexico problem anymore because Governor Abbott has a history of bussing his “authority” all over the country. (See “Texas Transports Over 100,000 Migrants To Sanctuary Cities“.)
As the crow flies, Bimidji, Minnesota is about 70 miles from the Baudette, Minnesota Port of Entry. It is small town that falls within the “100-Mile Border Zone”. Of course, it is the Canadian border, but there is no distinction when it comes to the application of the case and statutory law. Bimidji is firmly in the “100-Mile Border Zone”. Joining Bimidji is every major coastal city, as well–including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Bimidji is special, though.
Bimidji claims to be the birthplace of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox–the quintessential subjects of the American “Tall Tale”. If anyone can spot an exaggeration, it would be someone from Bimidji, Minnesota. I have “name checked” the people of Bimidji here to beg them to call the following out as an exaggeration:
Last September, Newsweek reported how “[f]ormer Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a warning… predicting the United States will collapse in an “imminent new civil war” (Putin Ally Predicts US Will Collapse in ‘Imminent New Civil War’). I chuckled at the thought, not because there aren’t some very serious differences among our populations, but because the logistics of such a conflict seemed too far fetched to fathom. A civil war in the United States was no more plausible than the Grand Canyon being created by an absurdly large axe being dragged through the desert by a comically large lumberjack while out for a stroll with his big blue ox.
Having watched Texas DPS Director Sanchez declare intention to send the Texas National Guard under the authority of Texas Governor Greg Abbott into New Mexico in such a matter-of-fact tone, I’m not so sure Medvedev was telling a tall tale.
People of Bimidji, help me out. From one “100-Mile Border Zone” community to another, is all of this just another tall tale?
