LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas National Guard will send about 40 guardsmen to Texas to support border control efforts along the nation’s southern border, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office said Tuesday.

The guard’s operation is at the governor’s direction and will begin April 1 and run through May 30, officials said in a news release.

Arrests for illegal crossings along the southern border hit record highs in December but fell by half in January, a shift attributed to seasonal declines and heightened enforcement by the U.S. and its allies. The federal government has not yet released numbers for February.

Sanders, who is critical of President Joe Biden’s efforts to block migrants from illegally entering the country, said she’s “seen the crisis ... firsthand, and I know the incredible men and women of the Arkansas Guard can help supplement Texas’ efforts to keep our border secure and our states safe.”

Sanders visited the border with 14 other governors on Feb. 4 to show their states’ support for Texas’ efforts to block illegal migration. She also visited the border last July to show her support for about 80 guardsmen she had previously deployed there.

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“Our soldiers will be well prepared and ready to assist the Texas National Guard’s operations,” said Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Arkansas’ Adjutant General, who noted previous deployments under Sanders’ administration and others.

The Arkansas Guardsmen will enhance the Texas National Guard’s surveillance and reconnaissance abilities and provide increased detection and tracking capabilities to their partners, the news release said.

Immigration has emerged as a central issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, which is widely expected to be a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump who each is seeking to use the border problems to his own political advantage.

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