Governor Abbott thanked Idaho Governor Brad Little and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have recently stepped up to offer assistance in securing the southern border with law enforcement support and assets, but wants more governors to step up.
Abbott urged the nation’s Governors to help support Texas’ unprecedented border security efforts in the wake of President Joe Biden ending Title 42 last week and his continued refusal to enforce federal immigration laws.
In letters sent to each of his fellow Governors, Governor Abbott requested support in responding to the ongoing border crisis through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which enables states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency.
“The flood of illegal border activity invited by the Biden Administration flows directly across the southern border into Texas communities, but this crisis does not stop in our state,” reads the letter. “In the federal government’s absence, we, as Governors, must band together to combat President Biden’s ongoing border crisis and ensure the safety and security that all Americans deserve. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact empowers states to provide assistance to one another in times of disaster or emergency, both of which accurately describe the current border crisis. Join us in the mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and send all available law enforcement personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border to serve alongside our thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.”
In his letters, Governor Abbott highlighted the Texas taxpayer dollars the State of Texas has already allocated for border security operations along the Texas-Mexico border and requested his fellow Governors also help provide funding for their state’s border security response. Texas has spent more than $4.5 billion since 2021 on critical border security operations, with the Texas Legislature currently looking to fund an additional $4.6 billion for the next two years. However, the Governor noted that Texas should not have to shoulder the financial burden of protecting our nation alone.