Texas asks DHS to reimburse over $10B spent on border security

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state has submitted the documentation needed to request reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for costs Texas incurred to secure the southern border.

Abbott said Texas spent more than $10 billion over four years on border security under “Operation Lone Star,” including deploying National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, building border barriers, and using technology to stop illegal crossings and interdict drugs.

The governor’s release says federal agencies have set aside reimbursement funding administered through DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ). It also says the application window opened earlier in the month, and Texas is now positioned to seek recovery of state taxpayer funds.

Abbott added that Texas plans to apply for reimbursement from DOJ “in the near future,” and that the state will work with Texas’s congressional delegation and federal agencies to pursue reimbursement as quickly as possible.

This announcement does not change immigration law or create new immigration benefits by itself, but it signals that Texas is actively pursuing federal cost-sharing for border-security operations.