Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants Congress to reimburse his state for more than $11 billion spent on southern border security under the Biden administration.
Abbott on Thursday sent letters to House and Senate leaders and the entire Texas Congressional delegation requesting more than $11.1 billion to account for state taxpayer money spent to secure the border when former President Joe Biden refused to do so.
"[F]rom day one, former President Joe Biden refused to enforce federal immigration law and pursued reckless open-border policies that invited record-breaking illegal immigration," Abbott wrote in his letters.
"President Biden's policies left Texas and the rest of America defenseless against an unprecedented infiltration of violent criminals, known terrorists, and other hostile foreign actors, like the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. I launched Operation Lone Star (OLS) to combat these threats to all Americans."
Abbott said OLS "successfully reduced illegal immigration into Texas by 87%, demonstrated the ongoing effectiveness of President Donald Trump's border measures, and shone a spotlight on a national crisis."
"In total, Texas has spent over $11.1 billion to protect the nation and secure the border. Accordingly, I am formally requesting that the federal government reimburse Texas for these costs in full," he wrote.
Abbott launched OLS in 2021. It involved multi-agency collaboration between the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Military Department, including the deployment of state troopers, National Guard personnel, and other resources, CBS News reported.
The governor, who met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., last week to discuss border security, wrote that Texas erected more than 100 miles of its own border wall, placed 200 miles of razor wire, and has kept National Guard and state troopers deployed for years.
He added that Texas law enforcement has apprehended more than 500,000 illegal immigrants, including 50,000 criminal arrests, and seized more than a half-billion doses of fentanyl.
"Operation Lone Star was required to combat the massive caravans, rampant vehicle pursuits and bailouts, human trafficking, stash house operations, property damage, and unsafe conditions for Texans living on the border," Abbott wrote in his letters.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he supports Abbott's reimbursement effort.
"No state has had to bear the brunt of the Biden-Harris border crisis more than Texas," Cornyn wrote on X.
"I will fight to include funds in Congress' reconciliation bill to reimburse Texas for its efforts to secure the border as a result of the Biden admin's complete dereliction of duty."