Governor Abbott got heckled by a handful of opponents, but received a warm welcome Thursday evening in Weslaco, when he visited the Texas National Guard troops he has deployed to the Texas Mexico border following President Trump's executive order, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Abbott said the mission is necessary to protect the security of Texans.
"This operation is necessary in order to deal with what has been an escalation of cross border traffic," Abbott said. "An increase of more than 200 percent."
That is an increase reported by Homeland Security between March of 2017 and March of this year.
726 Texas National Guard troops are currently deployed along the border, mainly in the Rio Grande Valley, and Abbott says he plans to increase that number to 1400.
"There has been increase of 200% in heroin coming across the border," Abbott said. "An increase of more than 200% in the number of M-S 13 (the infamous Salvadoran based gang which is often cited by President Trump) coming across the border."
But Democrats don't think much of the National Guard deployment
."We have a lot more manpower at the border now, more than we have ever had," San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro said. "So I see all this as a political show."
PHOTO: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR