Idaho governor says he is sending Idaho State Police troopers to Texas-Mexico border again

BOISE -- Gov. Brad Little announced Friday that he is sending two more teams of Idaho State Police troopers to the Texas-Mexico border.

This is the third year in a row the governor has sent state police to the U.S. southern border. In previous years, the troopers were trained on combating drug trafficking. This year, the troopers will focus on learning to curb human trafficking, according to a news release from the governor's office.

Little had said he intended to send troopers in his State of the State address on Jan. 8.

“We will work even harder to address the open border and its impacts because of the failure of the Biden-Harris administration to admit it’s even a problem," Little said in the address. "Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. The cartel and other bad actors are taking advantage of our open border to manipulate and abuse the most vulnerable, including children."

The release said the teams would be sent "in coming weeks."

Last year, the total cost to deploy ISP troopers to the border was $197,317.90, according to a public records request response.

Little also announced Friday that he was proclaiming January "Idaho Stands With Texas in Securing the Nation’s Border Month" in response to a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that allowed federal officials to cut or remove barriers put up by the state on the border. The court issued the opinion Monday in what was a victory for the Biden administration, the New York Times reported.

On Thursday, Little and 24 other Republican governors signed a letter in support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.