he *has* already called out and deployed the purely state force
*****************
Aren’t they down there helping with the processing, not
actually on the border patroling?
Better than nothing. Texas State Guard is not really a combat force - they’re under military discipline but the specialty is construction, medical and logistics. They can fight but they’re ill equipped to do so, especially considering that they’d face people like Zetas on the other side of the border. It’s better that they handle what they can, which frees up officers and troops whose specialty is combat and apprehension.
To be even more specific - you don’t send out doctors, combat engineers and supply specialists to patrol and apprehend people if you have any choice; you use them in their specialties and to push papers around so the people whose jobs it is to patrol and apprehend can go do their jobs instead of having to worry about logistics and paperwork.
Still better than nothing, and it’s about all he can do without Federal issues.