The deployment was hasty, Guardsmen say. Some stationed on the border say they have little to do, which is leading to low morale. As well, the state has been slow to pay them, Guardsmen say…

A large part of the problem with the troops stems from boredom, say Texas National Guard members deployed at the border. Many members of the National Guard, who don’t have authority to enforce immigration laws, say they do very little during the day, and frustration has risen amid difficult living conditions, financial stress and months away from their families. Some have been on the mission longer than overseas deployments, without the same support resources, they said.

“I’ve never seen the magnitude of problems of Operation Lone Star,” said Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Featherston, who previously served as the senior adviser to the Texas Army National Guard and has been speaking out against the operation in recent weeks.

One National Guardsman said he was pulled out of his civilian job as a nurse over the summer to go to the border. He didn’t receive a paycheck for months and mortgage payments back home drained his savings account to the point that when he had a week off from the mission, he spent it working long hospital shifts trying to put some money in the bank.