Some 1,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers, Arizona Department of Public Safety and law enforcement officers, and hundreds of Arizona National Guard soldiers have been deployed to the border, according to the letter. At the same time, Abbott and Ducey took aim at President Joe Biden’s administration and accused him of fostering policies that encourage illegal immigrants to come to the border, saying they were forced to declare a disaster and an emergency in their respective states. Abbott, meanwhile, announced Thursday that Texas will conduct a “comprehensive border security plan to crack down on illegal border crossings” in the state, which would potentially include the construction of a state-funded border wall.