Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen will travel to Texas on Monday to visit with Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers who were sent to the U.S.-Mexico border last month to aid authorities in efforts to counter immigration and drug trafficking there.

Nebraska National Guard Adj. Gen. Craig Strong will also travel to the border, where they will visit 61 soldiers who left Aug. 2. They are expected to be stationed there until early September.

While there, Pillen will join other Republican governors for a security briefing led by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Pillen in May deployed 10 members of the Nebraska State Patrol to the border to assist with drone surveillance operations.

The state was not reimbursed for costs of that deployment, which was paid for through the State Patrol's budget, the governor's office said.

“This mission is critical to the security of Nebraskans as well as all Americans,” Pillen said in a news release. “I am looking forward to visiting with our soldiers and observing their operations personally and sharing the state’s appreciation for their service as part of Operation Lone Star.”

Abbott launched the operation in March 2021 in an effort to secure the area. It has been ongoing since.

Federal funds "directed through the Nebraska National Guard will cover costs associated with this deployment," the governor's office said.

May's deployment marked the third time a Nebraska governor has sent state troopers to the border. The state's tab for such deployments has already pushed north of $600,000, the Nebraska Examiner reported.

Photos: The border under President Biden