Governor Chris Sununu Letter to Fiscal Committee Regarding NHNG to Southern Border

Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu wrote to members of the Fiscal Committee in request of authorization of funds to facilitate a state active-duty operation of the New Hampshire National Guard in support of security activities at the southern United States border to protect New Hampshire citizens from harm.
 
The $850,000 in authorized expenditures will allow for up to 15 volunteer members of the New Hampshire National Guard to be stationed in Eagle Pass, Texas on state active duty for up to 90 days, under the operational direction of the Texas National Guard and will be consistent with existing state and federal laws.
 
Earlier this month Governor Sununu, along with 13 fellow governors, joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a briefing on the Operation Lone Star mission to secure the southern border. The visit came after Governor Sununu joined 24 of his fellow governors in writing to the Biden Administration in support of Texas’ constitutional right to self-defense and efforts to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs, and human trafficking along the southern border.
 
In the letter to the Fiscal Committee, Governor Sununu writes, “Simply stated, in the absence of a willingness at the federal level to secure our border, states (both individually and collectively) must undertake efforts to protect the safety of their citizens.”
 
The Fiscal Committee is anticipated to meet and consider the Governor’s request on Friday, February 16, 2023.
 
In October of 2022, two units of the New Hampshire National Guard deployed to the southern border for a 1-year deployment. Approximately 120 soldiers from the 237^th Military Police Company provided surveillance along the border, while approximately 44 soldiers from the 941^st Military Police Battalion HQ provided command and control over four subordinate units along a 250-mile sector of the border extending to the Gulf of Mexico.
 
NOTE: A copy of the Governor’s letter to members of the Fiscal Committee can be found here.