COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is going to the southern border between Mexico and the United States to visit National Guard members from the state who are stationed there.
McMaster said he and South Carolina Adjutant General Van McCarty will meet with the troops on Friday and Saturday. They plan to visit a section of the border in Texas.
McMaster's press office said that he will meet with members of the 2-151st Aviation Regiment and 1052nd Transportation Company at a military installation and Customs and Border Protection sector headquarters near the border. He's also set to receive in-person briefings from senior military leadership charged with supporting and supplementing federal efforts to secure the southern border.
“The men and women of the South Carolina National Guard are selflessly serving our country in the midst of a serious crisis at our country’s southern border,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to meet with these brave South Carolinians and hear directly from them about their heroic efforts and the challenges they are facing.”
News of the visit comes on the same day that U.S. said the number of children traveling alone at the boarder reached an all-time high in March.
The huge increase in children traveling alone — some as young as 3 — and families has severely strained border holding facilities, which aren’t allowed to hold people for more than three days but often do. It’s left the government scrambling to find space and hire staff to care for children longer term until they can be placed with sponsors.
