DES MOINES, Iowa — WHO 13 News has obtained an Iowa Department of Public Safety email that reports that Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, approved sending state troopers to the Mexican border, following a request from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, both Republicans.
Law enforcement sources have confirmed the authenticity of the email.
The governor’s office has not disclosed how many troopers would be part of the agreement.
During the administration of President Donald Trump, a Republican, Reynolds said that she would approve sending National Guard members to the border. In January of this year, she sent National Guard members to Washington D.C., in the aftermath of the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol where supporters of the former president attempted to stop the certification by Congress of his defeat in the 2020 election.
Republicans have criticized the influx of migrants, especially children, at the southern border of the United State since President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that it stopped 180,034 migrants at the border last month, the highest in two decades.
All five of Iowa’s Republicans serving in Congress have visited the border to focus on increased security. On Friday, for the first time since she assumed her position, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to the border. She has previously traveled to Guatemala and Mexico, areas where the Biden administration can provide the root causes of the surge of migrants trying to get into the United States.
The Iowa State Patrol notified top leaders in the agency via email Tuesday that Reynolds approved the use of Iowa troopers in other states’ efforts to secure the border.
Colonel Nathan Fulk emailed, “The Texas Department of Public Safety sent out an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request for State Troopers to assist them with border operations along the Texas/Mexico border region. Governor Kim Reynolds directed the Iowa Department of
Public Safety to honor this request , so long as it does not compromise our ability to provide public safety services in Iowa. IDP Command Staff will be soliciting officers to travel to Texas to support this request. We anticipate the travel dates will be July 8-23, 2021.”The mail also includes a request to keep this information private. Fulk wrote, “Please keep a close hold on this information for now, as a public release from the Governor’s Office will be forthcoming.”
The governor’s office sent a news release on the approval. It reads in part, ” “My first responsibility is to the health and safety of Iowans and the humanitarian crisis at our nation’s southern border is affecting all 50 states,” said Gov. Reynolds. “The rise in drugs, human trafficking, and violent crime has become unsustainable. Iowa has no choice but to act, and it’s why I am honoring Texas’ Emergency Management Assistance Compact following assurances from the Iowa Department of Public Safety that it will not compromise our ability to provide all necessary public safety services to Iowans.”
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