Texas Finally Vindicated as Washington Approves $7.5 Billion Border Reimbursement

Texas guarded the border for years to defend its citizens, even when the federal government refused. Now, the state is finally vindicated, and Washington, D.C., is beginning to repay its debt.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has approved $7.5 billion from the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to reimburse Texas for securing the border. This is one step to make up for the federal government’s failure to do that job.

After then-President Joe Biden opened the southern border after taking office in 2021, Abbott launched “Operation Lone Star,” a massive effort to crack down on illegal immigration and transnational crime. Border Czar Tom Homan, who also worked for former President Barack Obama’s administration, blamed Biden for intentionally opening the border.

“Joe Biden is the first president in my lifetime to ever come into office and intentionally unsecure the border,” Homan said. “And don’t think for a second that he didn’t do so purposefully and with total understanding of what would happen.”

The tension came to a head in a January 2024 standoff, when Texas stood down the federal government—simply to defend the border. The Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety seized federal land in Eagle Pass, blocking illegal entry and enforcing the law. Despite the fact the Constitution tasks the federal government with ensuring the people’s security and defending against invasion, the Biden administration let hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens pour into the country—and even threatened Texas for defending its people.

“President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants,” Abbott said. “I have already declared an invasion … to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land.”

All in all, “Operation Lone Star” cost Texas more than $11 billion.

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, a Republican from North Texas, told the Daily Signal the state never should have needed to spend this money in the first place.

“Texas was the front line for the Biden border invasion, which flooded tens of millions of illegal immigrants and criminals into our country,” she said. “The Lone Star State fought courageously to slow this tsunami of illegal immigration.”

Van Duyne blamed Texas’ sacrifice on “Biden’s illegal actions” and “dangerous open border policies.” She said Texas Republicans in Congress worked diligently to include a federal reimbursement for the state’s border security costs.

“We are grateful to the President and the Administration for not only locking down our borders, enforcing our laws, empowering [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and [U.S. Customs and Border Protection], but for compensating our state for these billions of dollars we should not have needed to spend in the first place,” Van Duyne said.

Abbott repeatedly demanded reimbursement, including a January 2025 request for more than $11.1 billion. Texas congressional Republicans then pushed for federal reimbursement legislation. Congress ultimately created a $13.5 billion pool for state and local border-security and immigration-enforcement expenses.

Now, DHS’ $7.5 billion reimbursement will replenish a significant portion of Texas’ resources. However, it does not erase the billions already spent or fully cover the cost.

Operation Lone Star also netted criminals that could have infiltrated the rest of the country, by apprehending more than 507,200 illegal immigrants and making more than 41,500 criminal arrests, including more than 36,900 felonies. Texas also seized more than 471 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl.

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