While Washington Ignored the Border, Texas Stood in the Gap

For the past four years, as the Biden administration stepped aside while illegal immigrants surged through the U.S. southern border, it was Texas who stood in the gap to defend the nation’s sovereignty. Between 2021 and 2025, Texas taxpayers have paid billions to send Texas National Guard soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, and material assets to hotspots along the Texas-Mexico border.

But because the role of the government is to protect citizens and their property, it’s time for Congress to reimburse Texas for the funds and resources we have spent on behalf of national security, and further, undertake the next phase to shore up our southern defenses as the second Trump administration builds momentum.

In March 2021, with $1.88 billion allocated by the Texas Legislature, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to deploy thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers to the border to apprehend smugglers and cartel gang members and curb the flow of fentanyl. In May 2022, in anticipation of Biden’s decision to end Title 42 expulsions, Governor Abbott activated the Joint Border Security Operations Center (JBSOC), aligning the Texas DPS, Texas Military Department (TMD), and Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to coordinate statewide border security intelligence and operations as well as the deployment of strategic barriers along the Texas-Mexico border. The first phase of the increased security mission was completed in April 2023.

Further bolstering defenses, the second phase consisted of two quick reaction forces of military police units deployed to hold the line in El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley. The third phase initiated the Texas Tactical Border Force, employing C-130s, Blackhawk helicopters, and uniquely trained soldiers to intercept and repel the oncoming swell of migrants attempting to illegally enter Texas, deployed just in time for the federal government’s cessation of Title 42 in May 2023.

Additional resources funded by Texas taxpayers included unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), concertina wire barriers, and 1,700 unused steel panels. As of January 2025, Operation Lone Star has apprehended over 530,600 illegal immigrants, made more than 50,000 criminal arrests, and seized more than 622 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Along the southern border, towns and communities continue to face very real threats. Within moments of tucking her children into bed, one woman in Del Rio was shaken by the knocking of illegal immigrants on her children’s window. Illegal aliens surrounded her house, including one who was wanted for felony charges. Illegal immigration entails trespassing en masse, destruction of water lines, theft of personal property, and constant danger. In one of the heaviest trafficked areas of Texas, a brush team patrolling for criminal trespassers consists of only 10 people. In these border counties, while residents say they will probably never be comfortable again, more can be done to restore order and rule of law.

In January, Gov. Abbott called on Congress to reimburse Texas for these historic efforts to secure the southern border. It comes as no surprise to those who know Texas’ history that the Lone Star State has proven itself the defender of the nation’s sovereignty over the past four years while the federal government failed to meet the mark.

As one of countless young adults who grew up in Texas now paying into the tax base and pursuing home ownership and the freedom to raise the next generation with the opportunities that we were given, I see our state’s health care system and educational system stretched to their limits to provide services to illegal aliens. The result? A misplaced financial burden on citizen taxpayers rather than investing these funds toward our economic future. With the proposed reimbursement from the federal government, Texans’ hard-earned tax dollars will be returned to the very citizens whose integrity and work ethic have propelled Texas’ economy to rank eighth when compared to all countries in the world. Further, the state would be able to appropriate the funds as necessary to meet the current needs of Texas, from security defenses to education and healthcare.

In our hands, these funds can be stewarded for the improvement of our families, our communities, and our businesses to their fullest potential. While a repayment for our border security operations is necessary and justified, we can do more. Additional federal resources should be invested to patrol and defend our border communities. Penalties for criminal activities such as human trafficking, gang activity, the smuggling of illegal drugs and violence to the lives and property of American citizens must be exacted with the necessary level of force to avert repeat offenses. Only then can we ensure order and rule of law to protect our freedom and the freedom of all Americans.