Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is set to receive $7.5 billion from the federal government to reimburse the state for border security expenditures, Gov. Greg Abbott announced, marking one of the largest federal reimbursements associated with the state’s Operation Lone Star initiative.
Abbott said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security approved the funding through the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund. Congressional records confirm the $10 billion appropriation and allow eligible expenditures dating back to Jan. 20, 2021.
“I spoke with Secretary Mullin yesterday, who confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security will be sending Texas $7.5 billion as part of the federal funding to reimburse Texas,” Abbott said in announcing the award.
The governor described the reimbursement as relief for Texas taxpayers who financed the state’s border security operations.
Texas launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, deploying Texas National Guard members and Department of Public Safety troopers to the Texas-Mexico border. The state has also spent money on border barriers, law enforcement operations and other infrastructure.
Texas has spent more than $11 billion on the initiative, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune. In August, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Texas was expected to receive $7.5 billion from the federal reimbursement fund, representing three-fourths of the $10 billion administered through the Department of Homeland Security.
Abbott credited Operation Lone Star with reducing illegal border crossings by more than 80%. That figure is the governor’s characterization of the program’s results; border encounters are also affected by federal enforcement policies and broader migration trends.
The federal legislation establishing the fund permits grants for several activities, including construction and installation of border barriers and certain operations involving the detection and interdiction of illicit drugs and people who unlawfully entered the United States and committed crimes.
The governor’s office submitted Texas’ application for reimbursement to DHS in June.
Texas is separately pursuing additional federal reimbursement through Department of Justice funding. The federal legislation provided another pool of money for state and local border-related expenses, and Texas officials have sought funding from that program as well.
The $7.5 billion DHS reimbursement will offset a substantial portion of the billions of dollars Texas committed to border operations in recent years.
Source: Office of the Texas Governor, federal records and The Texas Tribune
