(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Governor Little announced on Friday plans to send two teams of Idaho State Police troopers to Texas with the stated goals of helping secure the border with Mexico and learning new techniques to combat human trafficking.
READ MORE | On the governor's orders, Idaho is sending troopers to the Texas border
It's an action he promised to take in his State of the State address.
Governor Little said, “I will issue an executive order to formally establish Operation Esto Perpetua, and I am adding another directive for the group – to assess the threat of human trafficking and our open border.”
Idaho’s governor says there’s a direct link to the current border security level and the rise in fentanyl.
And it's not the first time ISP troopers have been sent down to the border.
As we reported, in 2021, Governor Little sent a team of five ISP troopers to Arizona for three weeks in a mission he said would help address the flow of illegal drugs across the border.
Then, last summer, Governor Little traveled to Texas and sent another two teams of ISP officers to the Texas border to learn techniques for addressing drug and human trafficking, so they could bring that training back to teach other officers here in Idaho.
Friday’s latest announcement comes amid a tense dispute between the state of Texas and the federal government over immigration and border security concerns.
More than two dozen Republican governors pledged support for Texas governor Greg Abbott after he took a blow from the Supreme Court.
Governor little says, “Idaho stands proudly in solidarity with Texas and their efforts to protect America.”
Governor Little issued a proclamation Friday declaring January as 'Idaho stands with Texas in securing the nation's borders month.'
I reached out to Idaho State Police for further comment and they said they are only in the preliminary planning steps. Reporting from the Idaho State Police Headquarters, I’m your South Meridian Reporter Allie Triepke for Idaho News 6.
