Governor Stitt sending 50 members of Oklahoma National Guard to Texas border with Mexico

As the political turmoil over immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border intensifies, including an escalating showdown between the president and the state of Texas, Gov. Kevin Stitt is sending the Oklahoma National Guard to the El Paso area next week.

Stitt announced last month he was joining nearly a dozen other Republican governors in sending guard soldiers and airmen to Texas to enforce border security, which he said was lacking from the federal government — "Republican governors continue to step up to the plate when President Biden refuses to lead," Stitt said.

Democrats have called it a “political stunt” and a waste of tax dollars, especially since Oklahoma’s Guard members will be restricted to working security checkpoints without immigration enforcement authority. Guard members must notify local law enforcement if they spot any illegal activity.

“It’s unconscionable to send our guardsmen into harm’s way just to score political points,” said State Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Fifty Guard members will leave on Aug. 1 with a possible follow-on deployment of an additional 50 soldiers and airmen sometime in 2024, said Maj. Kristin Tschetter, a spokeswoman for the Guard.

Tschetter said a departure ceremony is planned for Sunday and Oklahoma Guard members will be in Texas for about 30 days.

Texas officials accused of inhumane treatment of migrants

Oklahoma is more than 800 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, but immigration has reemerged as a political issue for many Republicans ahead of next year’s presidential race.

After a surge last year, migrant crossings have decreased in recent months. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has continued an aggressive push to reduce illegal crossings, with some tactics criticized by the federal government.

President Joe Biden’s Justice Department recently sued Texas over its use of a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande River, calling it a violation of federal law and a humanitarian concern.

More: Along Texas' floating border barrier, migrant children left bloody by razor wire

Abbott has been pushing back on media reports that Texas officials have abused migrants and denied them basic necessities, including water.

Stitt's office has not responded to questions about how much his deployment order will cost the state. A recent two-week deployment of 80 Guard members from Arkansas cost that state around $1.3 million, according to the Arkansas Times.

Stitt has not said if he plans to visit the border, which he has done multiple times as governor. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders traveled to Texas during her state's deployment and appeared on national television to criticize Biden's handling of immigration.

"By deploying our brave National Guard Troops, we are sending a strong message that we remain dedicated to defending our borders and upholding law and order in our nation," Stitt said last month when announcing his plan to send Guard members to the border.

Oklahoma's governor is the commander and chief of the Oklahoma National Guard, which has around 2,500 members across multiple divisions.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Kevin Stitt sending National Guard members to Texas-Mexico border