"Today, we are deploying a new national guard unit, it's called the Texas Tactical Border Force," Abbott said. "They will be deployed to hot spots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally."
The troops will be equipped with aircraft, boats, night vision goggles and riot gear to prepare for anything they might encounter at the border, Abbott said.
Texas has already deployed around 10,000 National Guard members, along with 1,200 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the border, Abbott said.
Together, these forces have turned back more than 37,000 people who were trying to enter into the US and apprehended another 37,000 who did cross into the country illegally, he added.
The forces have also arrested about 27,000 dangerous criminals, including cartel gang members who were wanted for crimes such as murder and have seized enough fentanyl to kill every citizen in the United States, he said.
A massive surge of illegal migrants is expected to overwhelm the US southern border after the Trump-era public health emergency order known as Title 42 - which allowed the US government to turn away illegal immigrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19 - is set to expire on May 11.
An all-time record number of migrants have arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, exceeding 2.3 million people. In fiscal year 2023, the US authorities said they have encountered more than 1.2 million migrants.