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Holcomb sends National Guard to southern U.S. border

Gov. Eric Holcomb is sending members of the Indiana National Guard to the southern border of the United States as part of an ongoing showdown between the state of Texas and the federal government over the flow of migrants into the country.

Holcomb visited the border earlier this week, along with about a dozen other Republican governors.

In a statement Friday announcing the 10-month deployment of 50 National Guard members, Holcomb accused the federal government of negligence. He said the “constant supply of killer drugs over an open U.S. border” will harm Hoosiers and the state’s ongoing struggle with substance use disorder.

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This is not the first time the Indiana National Guard has been deployed to the region. More than 300 served on the southern border over the last three years — but they were part of federal missions.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Curtis Hill called for Holcomb to deploy the guard to the border Wednesday, saying the governor should do his part to protect Hoosiers.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.