U.S. Representative Roger Williams, a Republican from north Texas and former Texas Secretary of State under Gov. Rick Perry, has introduced a bill that aims to secure federal reimbursement for Texas’ border security expenses.
On February 15th, he unveiled the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act. This legislation is named after Governor Greg Abbott’s border security initiative, Operation Lone Star.
According to Williams, the federal government would be mandated to reimburse Texas for OLS costs from 2020 to 2023. In 2020-2021, Texas taxpayers paid over $800 million, and in 2022-2023, they paid over $2.9 billion. Williams added that an additional $4.6 billion has been allocated for 2024-2025.
Texas is demanding reimbursement for the billions of dollars it has spent to maintain the safety and security of its citizens, according to Williams. With President Joe Biden failing to fulfill his duty of safeguarding the American people, Texas has taken it upon itself to protect its homes and communities. The state has been grappling with issues such as human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug and cartel activity, and the continuous influx of unlawful entries, all of which have been placing a significant strain on Texas’ resources. Williams emphasized that it is crucial for Texas to be compensated for its efforts in combating these threats and upholding the well-being of its residents.
The bill emphasizes that the federal government has the primary responsibility for securing the borders of the United States at and between ports of entry. However, due to the federal government’s inaction, the state of Texas has been compelled to allocate funds repeatedly to secure the southern border of the United States. Texas has taken these measures to ensure the safety and security of all citizens throughout the country by combating criminal activities such as human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal weapon and contraband smuggling, criminal organizations, and unauthorized entry.
The Texas legislature has dedicated over $11.6 billion towards border security initiatives over a span of four years. This includes funding for the construction of the state’s inaugural border wall and the implementation of its first marine barrier system. The budget allocated for these purposes by Texas surpasses the total combined budgets of several state fiscal years, as well as the amount allocated by the Trump administration for federal border security efforts in Texas. The Center Square was the first to report on this development.
While Congress has allocated billions of dollars to secure the borders of other countries, and Democratic governors and mayors have urged the federal government to provide financial assistance to handle the influx of illegal foreign nationals, the burden of funding Operation Lone Star in Texas has fallen solely on the taxpayers of the state, without any reimbursement from the federal government.
State Representative Greg Bonnen, a Republican from Friendswood and the chair of the Texas House Appropriations Committee, played a crucial role in formulating the budget to fully support OLS. He revealed that the federal funding allocated for border security in Texas under the Trump administration totaled $1.6 billion over a span of four years.
During a recent border event with Abbott, he mentioned that Texas is allocating $11.6 billion for the entirety of the Biden presidency.
The budget allocates approximately $3.1 billion to expand border barriers and infrastructure, which includes ongoing construction of Texas’ border wall.
Approximately $200 million is allocated to transport undocumented immigrants to six self-proclaimed sanctuary cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles. The remaining funds are allocated to support the operations of the Texas Military Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to Bonnen.
Williams’ bill is a direct response to Governor Abbott’s appeals for the federal government to reimburse Texas taxpayers. The governor has consistently emphasized that Texans should not be burdened with fulfilling the federal government’s duties, but he is willing to step in and take action when the federal government fails to do so.
According to the latest data from the governor’s office, since its launch in March 2021, OLS has successfully apprehended over 500,000 illegal foreign nationals and made more than 39,500 criminal arrests. These arrests have resulted in over 35,600 felony charges.
The OLS officers have confiscated over 467 million deadly doses of fentanyl, a quantity sufficient to eliminate the entire population of the United States and Canada.
According to Abbott, President Biden’s “open border policies” are responsible for allowing drugs to enter communities across Texas and the entire United States. He argues that every individual who is apprehended or arrested, as well as every ounce of drugs seized, would have otherwise made their way into these communities.
Since April 2022, the Biden administration has unlawfully released over 100,000 illegal foreign nationals into Texas. Governor Abbott contends that Texas has subsequently transported these individuals to six self-described sanctuary cities.
According to the governor, it is important to understand that all transportation to sanctuary cities is voluntary. He highlights that illegal foreign nationals have the freedom to choose which sanctuary city they want to go to. The state reveals that the most popular destination among these individuals is New York City, with Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Los Angeles following closely behind.
Texas has thus far transported over 37,900 unauthorized foreign individuals to New York City, while Chicago has received more than 31,500, Denver has welcomed over 16,300, Washington, D.C. has taken in more than 12,500, Philadelphia has received over 3,400, and Los Angeles has welcomed over 1,500.