Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a memorandum of understanding with 25 fellow governors to create the American Governors’ Border Strike Force to better address the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and the negative effects of increased illegal immigration on public safety and crime in states including North Dakota.
Led by Arizona and Texas, the Border Strike Force also includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
The purpose of the agreement is to provide for cooperative efforts and mutual assistance in preventing crime and enforcing the states’ respective criminal laws and policies related to drug trafficking, human trafficking, transnational criminal organizations and other border-related crimes. It also provides for mutual cooperation in training exercises or other training activities.
“With the Biden administration failing to address the crisis at the southern border, our states are coming together to share information, coordinate law enforcement training and review existing laws to protect our citizens from the dangerous consequences of record-breaking illegal immigration and ensure that drug trafficking, human trafficking and other border-related crimes are investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Burgum said.
Col. Brandon Solberg, superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, will serve as the state’s representative to the Border Strike Force. An overview and copy of the memorandum of understanding can be viewed here.