The border issue in Texas has been "solved" but still exists nationwide, said GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
"We've solved the Texas problem, but the United States problem — that requires a new president to make sure that we are actually going to secure our border," Abbott said Tuesday on NewsNation's "Elizabeth Vargas Reports."
Texas has spent $11 billion on Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative launched by Abbott in 2021 in response to rising border crossings.
The governor said border crossings are down substantially but that he's not done curbing illegal immigration.
He told NewsNation that New Mexico, California, and Arizona need to be secured, too.
"We've got to understand the context of all of this. Let's assume Texas does succeed in reducing illegal immigration 100% into our state, which is our goal," Abbott said. "All those terrorists, all those murders, all those rapists, they're just going to go through New Mexico and Arizona and California.
"They're not able to make money in Texas like they are in New Mexico, Arizona and California, and that's why, after we put up the resistance that we did, the cartels took their business to those other states."