More than 400 Texas National Guard troops were deployed to El Paso on Monday to increase “its posture along the border” in response to the overwhelming numbers of migrants arriving to the region – and more expected when Title 42 expires in two days.

The Texas National Guard has activated and deployed airlift assets from the 136th Airlift Wing in Fort Worth, Texas. Four C-130J cargo aircraft are expediting the movement of soldiers and equipment to El Paso as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s enhanced border security effort. (Photo courtesy Texas Military Department)

The guard in a press release said that it has activated and deployed airlift assets from the 136th Airlift Wing in Fort Worth, which has been on alert since Thursday. The movement of soldiers is part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s “enhanced border security effort.”

The deployment includes the Security Response Force of the 606th Military Police Battalion, which is trained in civil disturbance operations and mass migration response “used to safeguard the border and repel and turn-back illegal immigrants,” the release states.

No other details on the soldiers’ specific duties were provided, but the headline on the press release states that the guard has deployed a “contingency border fence.”

A second response team, from the 236th MP Company, is also on standby to deploy to other parts of the border if needed.

The deployment comes after Mayor Oscar Leeser issued a disaster declaration on Saturday over the record number of migrants arriving at the border and being released to the streets of El Paso after being processed by border agents. The migrants who seek asylum are allowed to remain in the United States to await their immigration hearings.

El Paso native Cindy Ramirez has spent most of her career in journalism, with some stints in public and media relations and military reporting. She's covered everything from education to local government...