SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
Operation Lone Star is intended to deter illegal immigration through the U.S. southern border. And over the last three years, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to fulfill its mission. But the mobilization has taken a toll on some soldiers. At least 17 Texas National Guardsmen have died during the border mission, a number of them by suicide. Texas Public Radio's Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio reports.
GABRIELLA ALCORTA-SOLORIO, BYLINE: Every month, about a dozen residents of Eagle Pass, Texas, come to this spot on the Rio Grande to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives trying to cross.
JAVIER LEYVA: ...Through our prayers and through our presence here that God will extend his touch to the families.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: These vigils usually memorialize migrants, but this one also paid tribute to another group.
LEYVA: Even though we focus on the immigrants - but we also understand that the pressure that the National Guard people are going through because it's not easy to see people drown.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: Pastor Javier Leyva spoke next to the Eagle Pass boat ramp, where Bishop Evans, a 22-year-old National Guardsman, drowned trying to save two migrants. Evans is among at least 17 troops who have died while mobilized to Operation Lone Star. The deaths include at least seven suicides, two accidental shootings and two motor vehicle accidents. The Texas Military Department would not answer our questions about the deaths or the conditions of the deployment, but several guard members agreed to talk. They requested that NPR withhold their names and distort their voices because they fear retaliation. This soldier knew Bishop Evans.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: That one hurt because he was well-liked by a lot of the guys (inaudible***). So a lot of the guys just got really, really down from that, just from that. Just losing someone (inaudible) - it's never good news.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: Another soldier witnessed the death of 19-year-old Dajuan Townes, who died in an accidental shooting with his own personal firearm.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: When we requested that we stop training because someone had died from an event that was not even supposed to have guns, we were told to shut the f*** up, sit there and keep doing your job as if nothing happened.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: In a statement regarding the deaths, Governor Abbott's office commended the Guardsmen for protecting the country from what it called the consequences of the Biden-Harris administration's dangerous open borders policy. The statement also said Abbott was proud to sign a law called the Bishop Evans Act that provides families of dead National Guardsmen a one-time payment of $500,000. But the Military Department told state lawmakers that of the 17 deaths, 10 claims were filed before the act was passed, while six were denied and deemed not mission-related. Suicide is a leading cause of death among service members as a whole. But some observers say the nature of the border mission can especially affect soldiers' mental health. Ari Sawyer, formerly with Human Rights Watch, is an expert in immigration policy.
ARI SAWYER: The only way to stop these suicides is to stop forcing them to do - to carry out these violent policies against their fellow human beings.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: President-elect Trump says he plans to use the military to carry out mass deportations and secure the border. Sawyer says Operation Lone Star has shown one of the risks of that.
SAWYER: To the extent that the military is tasked with immigration enforcement in the United States, we will see more and more suicides, especially because, you know, like, the country is really polarized on this issue. And so there's a sense of also, like, rejection and isolation.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: The guardsman who witnessed Dajuan Townes' shooting says he felt ostracized because he spoke out about how troops were treated. He eventually left Operation Lone Star after experiencing depression and PTSD.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: No matter how hard I tried, it was never enough.
ALCORTA-SOLORIO: Because he was deployed on state orders, he did not receive disability benefits, and his conditions were deemed not service-connected. He once wanted to make the military a career but says Operation Lone Star changed his mind. For NPR News, I'm Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio in San Antonio.
MCCAMMON: If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, you can call or text three numbers, 988 - just those numbers, 988 - to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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