Trump’s Troops and the Border “Learning Lab”

How the Republican-led Operation Lone Star in Texas became Trump’s model for sending troops into Democratic-led cities.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee looks on as US Sen. Marsha Blackburn and US Sen. Bill Hagerty hold an order signed by President Donald Trump sending National Guard troops to Memphis, in the Oval Office of the White House on September 15, 2025. (Photo credit Saul Loeb via Getty Images)

On September 15, President Donald Trump directed the National Guard and feder…