(NewsNation) — More than a dozen Texas National Guard members have died while deployed under Operation Lone Star at the state’s southern border in the past three years, according to a state official.
At least 17 Guard members have died, Shelia Bailey Taylor, director of state administration for the Texas Military Department, testified at a Veterans Affairs hearing last week, reported the Army Times.
The hearing revealed that the troops died during their deployment under Operation Lone Star, a plan created by Gov. Greg Abbott to curb migrant crossings over the Texas border.
The causes of deaths varied, with one due to a medical emergency at a hotel where troops were staying in McAllen, another who was accidentally shot in Fort Clark Springs and at least five soldiers who died by suicide while assigned to the border, reported American military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
The families of some of the guardsmen who died received half a million dollars in compensation under the newly authorized Bishop Evans Act, according to Bailey Taylor.
The legislation allows families of Texas National Guardsmen who die “in connection with operations initiated to address criminal activity in the border region” to be eligible for financial compensation.
The law is named after a Texas National Guard member who died in 2022 while trying to save two migrants, Army Times reported.
However, several other guardsmen were denied, or their claim is under review, according to the outlet.
Between March 2021, when Operation Lone Star launched, and September 2023, there were 10 claims submitted to receive a one-time lump sum payment of half a million dollars following the death of a service member, Bailey Taylor testified.
Four of those claims met eligibility requirements, but only three were paid out due to the fourth not having surviving dependents. The other six claims were denied, she said.
Abbott and President Joe Biden have been in a standoff over border security and enforcement as the governor has undertaken the responsibility upon himself, resulting in hundreds of Texas officers being deployed to the border.
Abbott has credited his plan as being the reason why border crossings have declined.
Southwest land border encounters have steeply declined since May and were down more than 20% year over year as of July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
“Let’s look at the timeline, because you will remember that Joe Biden put his so-called executive order in place where he helped to close the border in June. But if you go back and look at when border crossings began to decline, that was more than a half a year before that, back in last December, and that was after Texas had begun our accelerated operations to deny illegal entry, using the guard, using the razor wire, using the pepper ball,” Abbott told NewsNation.
“It was the robust, comprehensive approach by Texas that actually led to the decline. Biden just happened to come in and stepped and rode on our coattails.”
