Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference on June 16 on the border wall. Governor Abbott was joined by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Dade Phelan.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Governor Greg Abbott
- Is a 1,000 increase in those coming over the border year over year
- A majority of those coming across the border are adults coming alone
- Fences are being decimated along the border; crime is rising
- Border crisis is a direct result of the open border policies put in place by the Biden Administration
- Biden Administration is abandoning the job to finish building the border wall
- Current administration is refusing to enforce border laws passed by Congress
- More than $1 billion has been dedicated to border security in the most recent state budget
- In March, Operation Lone Star was launched; have made over 1,500 arrests since then
- More is needed to be done
- Counties along the border sent a letter requesting a disaster declaration as a result of the current border situation
- Are already other counties who want to be added on to a second disaster declaration
- DPS will work with local officials who come across the border illegally
- Legislature passed a new smuggling law that makes it easier to prosecute those who smuggle across the border
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards are working with counties to expand jail space
- Thanks Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, and other states who have sent resources to Texas
- Are working to reduce Fentanyl coming across the border; in first four months of this year, apprehended enough that would kill 21 million
- Border barriers, like fencing, are being built immediately; state agencies are talking to land owners about outing fencing up on their private lands
- These lead to arrests due to trespassing laws
- Texas will build a border wall in this state
- Process will begin with a program manager and contractors
- Program manager can look to land that is already owned by the state, local government, or private citizen who wants to volunteer their land
- Need to hire program manager; process begins right now
- Today are signing a letter that fully funds this program
- Will send a letter that the Biden Administration releases the federal land that was promised to build the wall
- Many residents have already sent money to build the wall; have a site where citizens can donate borderwall.texas.gov
- Have an address designated where people can send money through the mail
- Money will be overseen by TDEM and the Office of the Lt. Governor
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
- This is the most consequential letter, document, and resolution signed by any Governor
- This reclaims our land, our border and the state; on pace to apprehend 2 million people this year
- This is a fight for our survival; $4.4. billion has been spent since 2015 doing the work the Federal Government was spending
- If we had four more years with President Trump, we would have finished this work
- President Biden has made the choice that he is letting the drug cartels take control of this country
Speaker Dade Phelan
- Thanks the Governor for having a Texas solution to a Washington problem
- This is a humanitarian and economic crisis
- Will be handing out a list of interim charges to House committees on how this surge has impacted our border communities and beyond
- In these hearings, will hear from everyone on the impact
- A special session is coming soon, do not know when, but will be holding these hearings
Question and Answers
Q: Question concerns the resources that have been sent from other states
- Abbott – Depends on what kinds of officers other states will send
- Abbott – Need more jail beds and staff
Q: Question concerns the budget
- Bonnen – Funds have already been appropriated; $258 million will be transferred to a disaster account and then then will be transferred again
- Nelson – LBB can make a transfer under request that can be made at any time
Q: What is the state doing to defend the border, why is this happening now?
- Abbott – Started in 2015; overviews what happened over the Trump Administration regarding border security
- Abbott – Flooded the border with resources starting in March; issue is that the federal officials continued to release those who were captured
- Abbott – New arrest policy is based off them being arrested on state offenses
Q: Among power grid concerns, some say this is political theater?
- Abbott – Those who thinks this is just politics does not know what is going on and do not care about those who have been affected by this
- Abbott – Everyone who has made a big deal about the power grid were the ones who called me a Neanderthal about opening the state up 100%
- Abbott – Concerning the ERCOT conservation notice, some power generators would be offline which would strain the grid
- Those repairs have already been made
- Abbott – Takes a while for power grid laws to be fully implemented
- Abbott – Greater communication was one of the requests by the legislature; that is all that was
- Abbott – Energy grid in Texas is better than it ever has been
Q: How long will it take to make this? How long will the wall be?
- Abbott – Need engineers and contractors to answer those; why we have started the hiring process
Q: What would you say to those who are skeptical about this since $250 million has already been paid on a project they have no idea what it will eventually cost?
- Abbott – Know it will cost more than $250 million; are going to hire the experts before more money is allocated
Q: What about the humanitarian part of this?
- Abbott – Federal government has been focused on those coming across the border
- Abbott – Is a humanitarian crisis for those who are citizens living along the border