Texas Gov. Abbott asks government to reimburse state for $11B spent to secure southern border

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is requesting that the national authorities reimburse his authorities much than $11.1 cardinal for payer wealth spent connected securing the confederate borderline during erstwhile President Joe Biden's administration.

Abbott, who sent letters to U.S. Congressional members connected Thursday, said the Biden administration's "refusal to bash its occupation the past 4 years" resulted successful the situation astatine the confederate borderline that has spilled into the remainder of the country.

"President Biden’s policies near Texas and the remainder of America defenseless against an unprecedented infiltration of convulsive criminals, known terrorists, and different hostile overseas actors, similar the unsafe Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua," the politician wrote.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES BILL TO REIMBURSE TEXAS FOR BILLIONS SPENT TO SECURE BORDER

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the national authorities to reimburse his authorities for the much than $11 cardinal of payer wealth it has spent connected borderline information implicit the past 4 years. (REUTERS/Callaghan O'hare)

In effect to the national government's deficiency of enactment astatine the border, Abbott took matters into his ain hands and launched Operation Lone Star successful March 2021, which deployed the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the US-Mexico border.

Operation Lone Star has reduced amerciable immigration into Texas by 87% implicit the past 4 years, proving the "effectiveness of President Donald Trump's borderline measures," according to Abbott, who added that his efforts person shone a nationalist spotlight connected the crisis.

The politician outlined that the cognition has besides resulted successful the apprehension of much than fractional a cardinal amerciable immigrants, stopped much than 140,000 amerciable attempts to participate the US, made much than 50,000 transgression arrests, seized much than fractional a cardinal lethal doses of fentanyl, built much than 240 miles of borderline barriers and established the lone National Guard basal on the Texas-Mexico border.

"In short, Texas stepped up wherever the national authorities refused and successful doing so, protected each Americans from President Biden’s unsafe policies," Abbott wrote.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS RENEW PUSH TO REIMBURSE TEXAS FOR 'OPERATION LONE STAR' BORDER SECURITY PUSH

Though helium is arrogant of the operation, Abbott noted that its occurrence came with a precocious terms tag of much than $11.1 billion, which has been, and continues to be, paid by Texas taxpayers erstwhile it "should person been the national government's responsibility."

In a papers breaking down the costs, Abbott said that anterior to the Biden administration, the authorities of Texas spent astir $800 cardinal each 2 years to supplement national efforts astatine the border.

Illegal immigrants walk done coils of razor ligament portion crossing the U.S.-Mexico borderline successful El Paso, Texas, successful March 2024. The ligament was placed by the troops arsenic portion of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's "Operation Lone Star" to deter migrants from crossing into Texas. ( John Moore/Getty Images)

"The load that our State has borne is simply a nonstop effect of a refusal by the national authorities to bash its job," Abbott wrote. "The enactment that Texas has done done Operation Lone Star has protected and volition proceed to payment the full country."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

House Republicans person introduced bills successful the past requesting Texas beryllium reimbursed for the billions spent on borderline security, but authorities has ne'er been passed.