Governor Abbott Announces Border Wall Construction Strategy
Governor Greg Abbott today held a press conference in Austin where he announced several key components of the State of Texas’ plan to build a border wall. The press conference follows the Governor’s Border Security Summit last week in Del Rio, which brought together law enforcement, city and county officials, and landowners to discuss strategies to secure the border and keep communities safe.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have led to a humanitarian crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants, drugs, and contraband pour into Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows. The state is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally. Our efforts will only be effective if we work together to secure the border, make criminal arrests, protect landowners, rid our communities of dangerous drugs, and provide Texans with the support they need and deserve. This is an unprecedented crisis, and Texas is responding with the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen.”
The Governor’s Border Security Summit brought together Texas sheriffs, police chiefs, county judges, mayors, district attorneys, and landowners to hear from state officials on the actions that the State of Texas is taking to secure the southern border and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis. During the summit, the Governor held private sessions with stakeholders to discuss collaborative strategies between state government, local city and county officials, law enforcement, and landowners to secure our border communities.
The Governor was joined by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance and House Appropriations Chairs Jane Nelson and Greg Bonnen, and members of the legislature.
“The Biden Administration has abandoned its responsibilities to secure the border and Texans are suffering as a result,” said Governor Abbott. “The problems along the border are only getting worse due to President Biden’s inaction. Property is being destroyed, deadly drugs and illegal weapons are being smuggled into communities throughout the state, law enforcement is having to redirect their resources, and county judges and mayors are facing skyrocketing expenses. Texas is doing more than any state has ever done to protect the border, but it is clear that more is needed. In the Biden Administration’s absence, Texas is stepping up to get the job done by building the border wall. Through this comprehensive public safety effort, we will secure the border, slow the influx of unlawful immigrants, and restore order in our border communities.”
During the press conference, the Governor signed a letter to the Texas Facilities Commission directing them to hire a program manager to oversee construction of the Texas border wall. This program manager will lead the process of planning and executing the project, and will hire the contractors and subcontractors needed to build the wall. Once hired, the program manager and contractors will identify state land and land that private landowners and local governments can volunteer for the wall.
As the state agency in charge of procuring, building, and managing state-owned property and leased facilities throughout Texas, and providing support services to other state agencies, your work is central to building projects in our state. That includes projects that enhance the safety and security of Texas.
One of the most important public-safety issues today is the need to protect against criminal activity, loss of life and injury to persons, and property damage caused by the surge in unlawful border crossings at the Texas-Mexico border. At the request of county judges on and near the border, I have issued a formal disaster declaration to assist border-area counties, and their residents, respond to the challenges they are facing as a result of an unprecedented number of people coming into their counties illegally, including cartels, gangs, and smugglers. Texas must utilize every available strategy to prevent this activity. That includes constructing secure barriers at or near the border to prevent unlawful border crossings and help law enforcement deploy resources to focused areas.
To accomplish those goals, I hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager to oversee construction of a Texas border wall. A program manager will lead the process of planning and scoping the project, and hiring the contractors and subcontractors needed to build the wall. In fulfilling this duty, the Commission must satisfy all legal requirements and ensure transparency and compliance with competitive bidding requirements.
Additionally, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor Patrick, Speaker Phelan, and Senator Nelson, and Representative Bonnen signed a letter during the press conference authorizing the transfer for $250 million as a down payment to launch the construction of the border wall and hire a program manager and contractors. Governor Abbott also noted that the state budget allocates 1.1 billion dollars towards border security — a record for the State of Texas.
The Governor also signed a letter to President Joe Biden demanding the immediate return of any land taken by the federal government to build the border wall. Once returned, Texas will talk to those property owners about the possibility of Texas using that land to build the wall.
Governor Abbott also announced a donation page, www.borderwall.texas.gov, where anyone can voluntarily donate to the construction of the border wall. The fund will be maintained by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.