Texas Governor Greg Abbott is urging Congress to reimburse $11.1 billion for border security spending since 2021, citing state efforts to address challenges from federal policies.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has asked U.S. government leaders to pay back the state $11.1 billion for border security costs that happened during the Biden administration. In a letter sent on Thursday, Abbott attacked federal border policies, saying they made Texas "defenseless" and compelled the state to spend billions on security efforts, such as Operation Lone Star and building a border wall.
Abbott wrote a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, as well as Texas lawmakers, detailing costs that go back to 2021. The biggest amount, $4.8 billion, was spent on building the border wall and connected activities. Out of that amount, $3 billion was used for building the wall, which has parts spread across six counties. Abbott says that more than 100 miles of wall have been built, but government records show that only 50 miles were finished by November 2024.
Additional costs were $3.6 billion for National Guard deployments and $2.3 billion for Texas state police. Abbott mentioned that they sent up to 10,000 soldiers at busy times, leading to more than 50,000 arrests and moving migrants to help smaller places in Texas.
Federal funds have been used before for border efforts in Texas. About $1 billion has already been moved from the Coronavirus Relief Fund created by the CARES Act. Abbott is making this request after President Trump praised his efforts to secure the border in a recent speech.
The request for repayment highlights the ongoing conflicts between state and federal governments about immigration rules and money. A motion in the Texas House backs Abbott's request for the federal government to help with the financial costs that Texas has been facing.
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