BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) - A bill that funds the mobilization of Louisiana National Guard troops to aid Texas in the U.S.-Mexico border crisis has been signed into law.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 19 on March 7 after it was approved by the Louisiana Legislature during the Special Session.

The $3 million that was approved covers pay, allowances, transportation, lodging and meals.

LANG will send 50 soldiers to Texas at a time and rotate out on a 30-day cycle.

“The soldiers we’re sending to the border are ready to support the state of Texas. They’re trained, capable, and are going to work well with their Texas counterparts,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of Louisiana.

Operation Lone Star was launched in 2021 to deploy the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the border.

The first rotation will be on mission in Texas no later than March 15, according to a news release. The LANG will stay in Texas until June 12, when the last group of soldiers starts returning to Louisiana.

Soldiers from the 2-108th Cavalry Squadron in Shreveport will do the first two rotations, and soldiers from the 61st Troop Command in Carville, La. will finish the last rotation, the news release said.

“I am confident that we are sending the best group of soldiers to support Texas. Our unit command team understands how to take care of soldiers and accomplish the mission,” said Friloux.

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