Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on June 12 requested $30 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy state resources to the Texas border. The request comes amid Border Patrol officers reporting a 92 percent spike in minors being apprehended at the border.
More than two-thirds of these arrests—33,470— were in the Rio Grande Valley sector. A draft Border Patrol memorandum estimates that number could reach 90,000 in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
The Texas DPS is prepared to swiftly launch a border security operation once funding is available. The cost for the operation is approximately $1.3 million per week and is necessary to stem the tide of unauthorized entries across the U.S.-Mexico border. The operational costs reflect overtime for State Troopers working 12-hour shifts and other expenses such as fuel and lodging, as well as overtime for local law enforcement agencies, which augment the DPS operations. An immediate $30 million directed toward state and local law enforcement would help mitigate the situation and provide the Border Patrol the assistance it needs on the border.
