Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) on Friday celebrated the arrival of a $7.5 billion reimbursement from the Department of Homeland Security for Texas’s role in securing the southern border during the Biden administration.
Abbott received the giant check at the governor’s mansion while celebrating Law Enforcement Appreciation Month. The federal reimbursement was announced in September and was intended to cover costs Texas fronted during Operation Lone Star, launched in 2021.
“This is a great first start, but we’re not yet finished ensuring that Texas gets back every dollar that we can to reimburse all of us for the cost that we incur,” Abbott said during a press conference.
During Operation Lone Star, Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers guarded the southern border, reinforcing barriers to stop illegal crossings under former President Joe Biden’s open border policy. According to the governor’s office, illegal border crossings dropped by 80% during the operation.
The funding came from the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund, which Congress approved under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. States were able to apply for federal funding for taxpayer dollars spent on protecting the border.
Of the money allotted in the reimbursement fund, Abbott said Texas received 75% for its role. He explained on Friday that the state is also awaiting the Department of Justice to reimburse an additional $3 billion for the same purpose, bringing Texas’s total repayment to $10 billion. Abbott said he intends to meet with DOJ officials to discuss the additional funds.
“Texas held the line when Washington would not,” Abbott said last month. “Texas taxpayers spent billions to stop illegal crossings, catch criminals, and seize deadly drugs. This reimbursement is a victory for those taxpayers.”
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During the Friday gathering, Abbott was surrounded by law enforcement officers and continued to emphasize the importance of border security, recalling the “reckless endangerment posed” by Biden’s border policy. He said that Biden permitted thousands of illegal immigrants to come to the United States “not knowing how many of them would turn into murderers, rapists, and other criminals.”
The federal repayment is a good look for Abbott just weeks out from the midterm elections in which the governor is looking to hold onto his leading role. A Fox News poll released on Thursday found that 52% of Texans approve of Abbott’s work in the gubernatorial office, the same percentage that favors him over Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa. Only 1% of voters were undecided, and the poll had a 3% margin of error.