On Friday, Governor Abbott tweeted that Texas has begun building a border wall.

Initially, Fox News reporter Bill Melguin tweeted that things were set in motion and the first wall panels were up in the Rio Grande Valley. He says the outcome is due to “state land, state money.”

Governor Abbott followed by quote-tweeting Melguin, saying, “Texas has officially started building its own border wall.”

In regards to President Biden’s policies, Abbott said, “Biden allows open border policies and refuses to enforce laws passed by Congress to secure the border and enforce immigration laws. Texas is stepping up to do the federal government’s job.”

Abbott also appeared on Fox News’ Varney & Co to further explain the plans for the wall. He states that the Texas Legislature “really took a strong stand” to ensure the state could financially afford the wall’s construction. He also mentioned the necessity of having the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard at the border.

The governor reassured citizens that the state has the money for the wall. “Three billion dollars of Texas taxpayer money has been devoted to this cause of Texas securing the border, and so we have a lot of money available to us to continue to build the wall,” Abbott said.