Texas Governor Announces $7.5 Billion for Border Security
Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed that the state is set to receive $7.5 billion from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This funding is intended to cover expenses related to securing the Southern Border over recent years.
Abbott, a Republican, expressed his satisfaction with the funding but emphasized that Texas would continue to seek additional resources to offset the high costs incurred.
“This is a great first start, but we’re not yet finished ensuring that Texas gets back every dollar that we can to reimburse all of us for the cost that we incurred,” Abbott remarked during a press conference on Friday.
In a release from September 18th, Abbott’s office noted that the DHS had approved his application from June. The funds originate from the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund, established through the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which was passed by Congress and signed into law last July.
Abbott also indicated that Texas intended to apply for a portion of the $3 billion allocated to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Operation Lone Star, launched in March 2021, involved the deployment of thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers to tackle illegal crossings and drug trafficking, as mentioned in the release.
“People cannot forget the reckless endangerment posed not just to Texas, but to the United States of America, by Joe Biden’s open border policies that were allowing in thousands of illegal immigrants in a day, unvetted,” Abbott stated on Friday. He praised the state’s law enforcement for their efforts during this time.
“We worked together to build barriers on the border…to make arrests of illegal immigrants coming across the border, to crack down on the human traffickers and put them where they belong, which is behind bars, to make sure that we would go after those who are pushing fentanyl,” he added.
Abbott mentioned that these efforts had led to an 85% reduction in illegal immigration in the state before the start of Trump’s second term. Additionally, he noted a decrease of over 40% in fentanyl-related deaths.
“Texas held the line when Washington would not. Texas taxpayers spent billions to stop illegal crossings, catch criminals, and seize deadly drugs. This reimbursement is a victory for those taxpayers,” Abbott stated, according to the September announcement.
In a related tweet, Governor Abbott confirmed the receipt of the $7.5 billion from the DHS, reiterating the state’s ongoing pursuit of further federal funding for border security efforts.
