Texas request congress reimburse them $11 billion for securing the border

Governor Greg Abbott has requested that congress reimburse the state of Texas $11 billion dollars for money spent securing the border during the Biden-Harris administration.

Earlier today, Governor Abbott sent letters to U.S. Congressional Leadership and the entire Texas Congressional Delegation requesting the federal government reimburse Texas.

In the letters, Gov. Abbott stated the following:

"President Biden’s policies left Texas and the rest of America defenseless against an unprecedented infiltration by violent criminals, known terrorists, and other hostile foreign actors, like the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Weapons and deadly drugs like fentanyl poured into our country; women and children were abducted, raped, and murdered in Texas; and property was destroyed all along the southern border.

I launched Operation Lone Star (OLS) to combat these threats to all Americans. Under OLS, Texas law enforcement has apprehended over half a million illegal immigrants; repelled over 140,000 attempted illegal entries; made over 50,000 criminal arrests; seized over half a billion lethal doses of fentanyl—more than enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada combined; built over 240 miles of border barriers; and constructed the only National Guard base along Texas’ southern border. In short, Texas stepped up where the federal government refused and in doing so, protected all Americans from President Biden’s dangerous policies. Over the past four years, OLS efforts successfully reduced illegal immigration into Texas by 87 percent, demonstrated the ongoing effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s border measures, and shone a spotlight on a national crisis.

As detailed in the attached document, this success came at a cost, which fell squarely on the shoulders of Texas taxpayers but should have been the federal government’s responsibility. The construction of over 100 miles of border wall and the deployment of buoys cost almost $3 billion. Installation and fortification of 200 miles of concertina wire and border fencing amounted to $58 million. The deployment of over 10,000 Texas National Guard soldiers and surging Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the border region came at a price tag of almost $6 billion. In total, Texas has spent over $11 billion to protect the nation and secure the border.“

Do you agree with Governor Abbott? Should congress reimburse Texas due to their negligence regarding the southern border?