Gov. Greg Abbott plans to request the federal government to pay for the financial costs associated with protecting the border.
On Tuesday, Abbott sent letters to state agency directors and county judges asking them to submit a full estimate of the fiscal impact of the border on their organizations. Then, the state will use this information to seek reimbursement from the federal government.
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“Even though the federal government has the duty to secure the border, the recent surge in illegal border crossing has forced the state to allocate resources and spend money to deal with the fallout of the border crisis,” Abbott wrote in the letter.
Abbott also noted that the state, through the Operational Lone Star operation, is spending millions of dollars each week.
The governor requested local officials send the information by May 11.
“Securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, but the current crisis has placed a costly burden on the state of Texas,” Abbott wrote. “I strongly believe that our state and our fellow Texans should not be forced to shoulder these costs, and the federal government should reimburse the state in full.”