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Sixty-three soldiers from the 104th Military Police Battalion in Kingston have been deployed to Texas to assist U.S. Border Patrol agents along the southern border. The deployment, part of a larger group of 188 New York Army National Guard soldiers, will last 14 months, including pre-deployment training and accrued leave. The soldiers are initially heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, for post-mobilization training before taking up their roles in the Border Patrol's Laredo Sector.
The 104th Military Police Battalion will command approximately 1,000 soldiers, overseeing seven companies, including a maintenance company, a transportation company, engineer companies, and a forward support company. The 442nd Military Police Company, based in Farmingdale, will join them, bringing four M1151 Humvees equipped with surveillance systems to aid in their mission.
Lt. Col. Nicholas Paolini, commander of the 104th MP Battalion, stated, "Our soldiers have been preparing for this deployment for most of the past year and are ready and well trained for their mission assisting the Border Patrol." The New York National Guard has a history of deploying troops to the southern border, previously providing administrative and logistics support.
This deployment follows a tragic incident in March 2024, when two New York Army National Guard helicopter pilots died during a mission near Rio Grande City, Texas. Currently, over 850 New York Army National Guard soldiers are deployed on federal missions worldwide, including the Middle East and Guantanamo Bay.