Gov. Greg Abbott recently held a press conference debuting the construction of the Texas border wall in Rio Grande City — just six months after he announced Texas would build its own border wall. The press conference took place in front of the first phase of the wall being built on state land managed by the Texas General Land Office (GLO).
The governor was joined by GLO Commissioner George P. Bush and Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) Chairman Steven Alvis, who spoke of the progress made to secure the southern border by building the Texas border wall. Sen. Kelly Hancock, Rep. James White, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Texas Military Department Adjutant General Tracy Norris and Deputy Adjutant General Monie Ulis also were in attendance.
On June 16, Abbott announced the state of Texas' plan for the border wall and authorized the transfer of $250 million as a down payment to launch construction. He also directed the TFC to hire a program manager to oversee its construction.
In September, a program manager was selected to lead the process of planning and executing the border wall. Gov. Abbott also signed House Bill 9 into law that month, providing an additional $1.8 billion in state funding for border security, including border wall construction.
"The State of Texas has taken comprehensive action to secure our southern border," said Abbott. "In June, I promised Texans that we would step up in the federal government's absence and build our own border wall. We have wasted no time in the six months since that promise was made, and I am proud to announce that construction of the Texas border wall is now under way. Today not only represents the first phase of the Texas border wall, but it also serves as a major milestone in our efforts to combat illegal immigration, stop the smuggling of drugs and people, and keep our communities safe."
Abbott has taken significant action to secure the border. Those actions include:
- Signing laws that provide $3 billion in funding for Texas' border security efforts;
- Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers;
- Creating a system to arrest and jail illegal migrants trespassing or committing other state crimes in Texas;
- Signing a budget authorization to build the border wall in Texas;
- Signing a law to make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas;
- Signing nine laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas;
- Signing a law enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl;
- Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis;
- Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants;
- Taking legal action to enforce the Remain in Mexico and Title 42 policies in Texas.
To learn more about the Texas border wall, visit borderwall.texas.gov.
