All of the Tennessee National Guardsmen returned to the state after completing their 12-month deployment helping secure America’s southern border.
The guardsmen began returning home at the end of October, with the last group returning to Tennessee on Monday.
They were stationed at the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector near Edinburg, Texas.
While on the southern border, these National Guardsmen were responsible for over 300 miles along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The guardsmen helped disrupt cartel activity, avert drug and human smuggling, helped with criminal apprehensions, and installed a counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems program that assisted in deterring criminal drones from operating in America, the state government press release said.
“Our Soldiers did a phenomenal job, and I am incredibly proud of them,” said Lt. Col. Robert Crowley, the commander for Dyersburg’s 168th Military Police Battalion. “Their professionalism during this deployment represented the best of those who serve in the National Guard.”
“We were one of the largest National Guard battalions with this mission,” Crowley added. “We were responsible for the command and control of over 600 Soldiers comprised of National Guard units from Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina, as well as active-duty forces.”
According to the press release, the number of illegal immigrant border crossers the National Guardsmen encountered plummeted during their 12 months along the southern border.
When they first went down to Texas, they saw an average of 700 illegal border crossers a week. However, at the end of their deployment, that number decreased to 50-70 people per week.
“I can’t stress enough how proud I am of all the hard work our Soldiers, and the ones we worked with, did over the last year,” said Crowley.
The decrease in the number of illegal immigrants the Tennessee National Guardsmen encountered at the southern border coincides with a dramatic drop in illegal immigrants attempting to cross into America since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
U.S. Border Patrol data shows that nationwide encounters decreased by 112,169 from October 2024 to October 2025. It went from 142,742 to 30,573, which is a 79 percent decrease.
Now that all the Guardsmen are home in time for the holidays, Crowley said “they represented everything that is great about Tennessee.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.|
