Gov. Pillen announces return date of troops deployed to southern U.S. border
Several Republican governors met last week to discuss border security
EAGLE PASS, Texas (WOWT) - Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has set a date for the 61 soldiers deployed to the southern U.S. border to return home.
Pillen said in a release Saturday the soldiers deployed earlier this month will return home on September 1.
“I know they will be happy to be reunited with their families,” Pillen said. “Every member has represented Nebraska well during this tour of duty. I appreciate their commitment to carrying the work necessary to support Operation Lone Star.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt participated in a security briefing headed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in Eagle Pass last week. The governors also took an aerial tour to view the border — including the buoys put in place by the state of Texas that form a floating barrier on the Rio Grande that resulted in a lawsuit by the Justice Department.
Gov. Abbott noted that 15 Republican governors in total have deployed personnel to the border, including governors of Tennessee, Idaho, Florida, Ohio, Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and North Dakota.
Noting he was the newest governor in the crowd, Gov. Pillen said he recalled when he was sworn into office earlier this year.
“That’s very very vivid in my mind,” he said. “I took an oath, I swore to the Constitution of State of Nebraska and to the Constitution of the United States of America to defend — defend — against all foreign and domestic foes, anybody that’s trying to harm us. And I am here because we together have to work to uphold that.”
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