Abbott Seeks Federal Refund for $11 Billion Spent by Texas on Border Security

Illegal immigrants from Venezuela turn themselves in to Texas state troopers after crossing the border from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on May 18, 2021. John Moore/Getty Images

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he will be traveling to Washington this week to speak with congressional members from Texas about getting the state an $11 billion refund for money spent to secure the southern border over the past four years.

The Republican governor revealed his plans during a Fox affiliate interview aired on Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth on Feb. 9.

“Americans really appreciate what Texas had done to stop the flow of illegal immigrants,” said Abbott, who made headlines for going toe-to-toe with the Biden administration over security at the Texas–Mexico border.

Abbott initiated Operation Lone Star in 2021 to counter a sharp rise in illegal immigration, the illicit drug trade, and human smuggling.

The operation pays for Texas troopers and National Guard members at the border as well as the prosecution and jailing of illegal immigrants, primarily for trespassing and evading arrest.

Abbott said Texas arrested more than 50,000 illegal immigrants and seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined.

“The point is this: No one can truly say how many people are alive today because of the fentanyl that we seized here in the state of Texas,” he said.

This past week, Abbott spoke with the media after meeting with President Donald Trump on Feb. 5 to coordinate with the federal effort to secure the border.

Texas built 50 miles of border wall on its own and intends to add another 20 miles, he said. The state also built two military bases that can house 2,000 soldiers in one base and 400 soldiers in another, which Abbott offered up for federal use.

Also, Texas has 4,000 jail cells in the state that can be used for federal detention, Abbott said.

Over the past four years under the Biden administration, some 11 million illegal immigrants came into the country illegally. This became a top campaign issue during the 2024 presidential election, with Trump pledging to close the border and deport millions of illegal immigrants.

On Feb. 2, Abbot announced in an X post an unprecedented memorandum of understanding with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, allowing the Texas guard to arrest illegal immigrants on the border.

Abbott said he wants state manpower to continue to act as a force multiplier to help Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.

State lawmakers in Austin have already filed bills to strengthen border security and work with the Trump administration. Notable Texas border bills include renewed attempts to create a Texas Division of Homeland Security and a Texas Border Protection Unit.

Other state bills focus on requiring counties and sheriffs to apply for and accept agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Those agreements allow “ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove incarcerated criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S. before they are released into the community.”

Legislative Proposals

House Bill (HB) 1491 would require county commissioners to apply for and enter into agreements with ICE if offered the opportunity to enforce federal immigration laws. State grant money would be withheld from those who don’t comply with the bill’s requirements.

Senate Bill (SB) 134 and HB 2362 would require each law enforcement agency of a political subdivision, such as a sheriff or police department, to request and, as offered, enter into a written agreement with ICE. Those who don’t comply would lose state grant money.

SB 658 requires sheriff departments in counties with a population of at least 250,000 to apply and accept as offered an ICE agreement but would mandate that sheriffs request and, if offered, enter into written agreements with ICE.

The proposed bill also provides grant money for sheriff departments under 250,000 to offset costs if they choose to apply and accept an ICE agreement.