LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Gov. Asa Hutchinson has ordered Arkansas National Guard troops deployed along the Mexican border in New Mexico to relocate to Texas to help with border security there.
Up to eight Arkansas troops and two helicopters have been deployed in New Mexico since May 2018 to help secure the nation's southwestern border. Hutchinson says he has directed Adjutant General Mark Berry to shift those troops to Texas, where the security needs are greater.
Earlier this week, New Mexico Gov. Lujan (LOO'-hahn) Grisham ordered the New Mexico National Guard withdrawn from border deployment and directed troops from other states to return home.
Last week, Arkansas troops and one of the state's LUH-72 Lakota helicopters helped federal officials seize 136 pounds of marijuana and arrest four men along the New Mexico border.