North Dakota joins 25 states in creating Border Strike Force

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) – Gov. Doug Burgum has signed an agreement with 25 governors to address the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and the “negative effects of illegal immigration on public safety and crime in states including North Dakota.”

Burgum says the American Governors’ Border Strike Force will focus on preventing crime and enforcing state laws related to drug trafficking, human trafficking, transnational criminal organizations and other border-related crimes.

Burgum says the Biden Administration is “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.”

Led by Arizona and Texas, the Border Strike Force 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.

North Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Brandon Solberg will serve as North Dakota’s representative on the strike force.