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Texas lawmakers ask Trump for priority when reimbursing border security efforts

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Published  November 15, 2025 12:48pm CST
Texas
FOX 4
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A US Army soldier monitors the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 24, 2025. US President Donald Trump ordered 1,500 more active military personnel to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle immigration, his spokes

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The Brief

    • Texas’ Republican congressional delegation is urging the Trump administration to prioritize reimbursing the state for border security spending under Operation Lone Star.
    • The request follows passage of Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill," which allocates $13.5 billion for state border security reimbursements.
    • Texas leaders say the state spent more than $11 billion securing the border during the Biden administration and deserves full repayment.

WASHINGTON - After President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed in July, states who spent their own money on U.S. border security are still waiting on the $13.5 billion allocated for reimbursement. 

Friday, Texas Republican lawmakers authored a letter asking the Trump administration to prioritize the Lone Star State once they begin doling out the funds. 

Texas wants border reimbursement priority

The latest:

The letter was signed by senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, as well as all 25 Republican members of Congress. 

Leading the House members' signatures is Rep. August Pfluger (R-San Angelo), who championed efforts to reimburse Texas for its border security work. 

The letter says Texas took on a massive financial burden through Operation Lone Star, which the Republicans say covered the gaps created by the Biden administration at the border. 

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Letter to Trump administration

What they're saying:

After outlining Texas' efforts in securing the border, the letter concludes as follows:

"Texas’s actions through Operation Lone Star were absolutely vital to ensuring the safety and security of Americans across our great country. However, our State should not have had to bear alone the costs of securing the border when former President Biden intentionally failed to do so. We therefore respectfully ask that, as the Departments prepare to disburse the funds set aside in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the State of Texas be fully reimbursed for the costs incurred to protect Americans from illegal immigration and drug trafficking under former President Biden’s disastrous leadership."

‘Big Beautiful Bill’ reimbursement funds

The backstory:

The funding bill established a $10 billion fund within the Department of Homeland Security called the "State Border Security Reinforcement Fund."

The fund would give grant money to states and local governments who took steps to secure the border on or after January 20, 2021, the date of Joe Biden's inauguration.

Each state was given 90 days to apply for a grant and explain why the state wants the funds and what they plan to do with it.

The $3.5 billion remainder was set to be disbursed by the DOJ. 

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'Big Beautiful Bill' could reimburse Texas for billions spent on border security
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'Big Beautiful Bill' could reimburse Texas for billions spent on border security

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Operation Lone Star costs

Dig deeper:

In January, Gov. Greg Abbott asked for Congress to reimburse Texas for efforts to secure the border during the Biden Administration.

He called for the federal government to pay back $11.1 billion that was spent on Operation Lone Star, Texas' border security effort.

By the numbers:

In the letter, Gov. Abbott included a funding breakdown of Operation Lone Star.

  • $4.75 billion - Border wall, other border barriers, local border security grants, processing criminal trespass arrests, relocation of migrants
  • $3.62 billion - Personnel costs deployment of National Guard soldiers
  • $2.25 billion - Personnel costs Texas state troopers
  • $311.2 million - Anti-gang intelligence
  • $77.3 million - Court costs for prosecution of border crimes
  • $62.6 million - Personnel costs game wardens
  • $32.8 million - Health and safety services at criminal processing centers
  • $19.2 million - Investigation and prosecution of vehicle thefts along Texas-Mexico border
  • $13.7 million - Human trafficking interdiction by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
  • $10 million - Removal of brush to improve visibility for law enforcement
  • $5.2 million - Prosecutions by the Attorney General for crimes relating to human trafficking

The Source: Information in this article came from the Texas Republican congressional delegation and previous FOX Texas Digital reporting. 

TexasImmigrationTexas PoliticsU.S. Border SecurityPolitics