A delegation of Texas Republican lawmakers, led by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), is urging the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize the state of Texas for border security reimbursement funds.
The plea comes as the Trump Administration prepares to disburse $13.5 billion set aside in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, a legislative win spearheaded by Senator Cornyn.
The Texas congressional delegation, comprising the entire GOP contingency, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary Kristi Noem, asserting that Texas deserves full reimbursement for the $11.1 billion it spent on its own border security efforts, primarily through Operation Lone Star, during the “disastrous Biden-Harris border crisis.”
The lawmakers argue that Texas was forced to step up and secure the border after the former Biden Administration “willfully refused to enforce our immigration laws.”
Operation Lone Star, launched by Governor Greg Abbott in March 2021, involved a “whole-of-government approach” that included:
- Building miles of border wall and buoy barriers.
- Deploying personnel to apprehend illegal aliens, gang members, and other criminals.
- Seizing over 779 million lethal doses of fentanyl, protecting communities nationwide.
The letter credits Operation Lone Star with an 87 percent decrease in illegal crossings into Texas and the apprehension of over 535,724 illegal aliens since its launch.
The $13.5 billion funding mechanism, a key component of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was specifically created to reimburse states that incurred costs while “stepping up” to protect the border.
“The State of Texas bore the heaviest burden, incurring $11.1 billion in costs over four years,” the lawmakers wrote. They concluded by respectfully asking the Departments to ensure the state is “fully reimbursed” for its expenditures, emphasizing that Texas “should not have had to bear alone the costs of securing the border” due to what they termed former President Biden’s “disastrous leadership.”
The letter cements the delegation’s unified push to recover Texas taxpayer dollars spent on what they view as a federal responsibility.
READ: ICE Detains Illegal Immigrant Who Attacked Jogging Texas Woman With Hammer
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