@saexpressnews: With President Donald Trump in office, Gov. Greg Abbott has no plan to ramp down Texas' border operation. But with border crossings dwindling and Trump dispatching federal troops to Texas, some lawmakers overseeing state spending are questioning how much longer Texas should continue pouring money into Abbott’s $11 billion border security crackdown. Texas has long spent money on border security initiatives, but that ballooned under Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which has seen Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guard soldiers dispatched to border counties, stringing razor wire and stacking cargo crates along the Rio Grande and arresting migrants on trespassing and other state charges. The bulk of the funding spent on Operation Lone Star has been for personnel, according to a letter Abbott sent to congressional leaders last month that estimated the costs at $5.9 billion over the last three years. A spokesman for the governor said discussions with the Trump administration on coordinated border security efforts “remain ongoing.” He noted that Abbott authorized the Texas National Guard to enforce federal immigration laws and make immigration arrests and that hundreds of soldiers have been deputized by Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks. Head to the link in our bio to continue reading. #Trump #Texas #Border #Mexico #Abbott #DonaldTrump #PresidentTrump #PresidentDonaldTrump #GregAbbott #GovernorGregAbbott #GovernorAbbott #Governor #President #Politics #SanAntonio #Austin #TexasBorder #OperationLoneStar #Congress #BorderPatrol #Immigration #Immigrants #Deportation #Deport #IllegalImmigration #Migrants #RioGrande #NationalGuard #Soldiers #Troopers #State #BorderSecurity #BorderCrossings #BorderCrossing #SouthTexas #fyp
