In a significant policy shift, Texas has halted the allocation of new funds for the construction of a U.
S.-Mexico border wall.
This decision comes after only a fraction of the proposed hundreds of miles of barrier was erected, a project initiated four years ago by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The state legislature recently approved a budget that does not include continued funding for the wall, a project that had been a multibillion-dollar priority for Abbott as part of a comprehensive immigration crackdown. In 2021, Abbott even solicited private donations for the construction, asserting that many Americans were eager to contribute.
As reported by The Texas Tribune, the cessation of funding comes as the state acknowledges the impact of President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies. "Thanks to President Trump's bold leadership, the federal government is finally fulfilling its obligation to secure the southern border and deport criminal illegal immigrants," said Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris. "Because of these renewed federal assets in Texas, our state can now adjust aspects of state-funded border security efforts."
Since the commencement of construction, Texas has completed 65 miles of the border wall, a small portion of the state's approximately 1,200-mile border with Mexico. The construction has been slow-paced due to the lengthy process of acquiring private land and facing local opposition in certain areas. In 2021,
Abbott announced plans for the wall amid a surge of migrants at the border, expressing his belief that a combination of state-owned land and volunteered private property would "yield hundreds of miles to build a border wall." However, the number of migrant crossings has seen a significant decrease this year.
Scott Nicol, a board member at Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a habitat preservation group in the Rio Grande Valley, has been a vocal critic of the wall. "There was no need for it in the first place," Nicol said. "The only thing that's changed is the political dynamic."
The newly approved Texas budget allocates approximately $3.4 billion for border security over the next two years. This funding will not be used for new wall projects but will be directed to the Texas Department of Safety and the Texas National Guard, the primary agencies responsible for Operation Lone Star, Abbott's immigration program launched in 2021 during the Biden administration. This allocation for border security is nearly half of the $6.5 billion that was dedicated to immigration efforts in the previous state budget.
Republican Senator Joan Huffman, the lead budget writer in the state Senate, stated that the funds previously allocated for the wall would allow work on it to continue through 2026 and "will set the federal government up for success." The Texas Facilities Commission, the agency overseeing the wall's construction, has approximately $2.5 billion remaining in funding to cover up to 85 additional miles of the wall by 2026, according to a statement made in April by Mike Novak, the Commission's executive director.
However, not everyone agrees with the wall's construction. Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, criticized the project, stating, "This wall should have never been built, it's useless. It divides our community."
The decision to halt new funding for the wall reflects a shift in Texas's approach to border security, influenced by changing immigration patterns and political dynamics. While the wall's construction may continue with previously allocated funds, the focus has shifted towards bolstering the state's security agencies.
Login