Governor Abbott is asking congressional leaders to reimburse Texas for the $11 billion spent on the border under Operation Lone Star.

The overall amount includes nearly $3 billion for constructing 100 miles of border wall and installing floating buoys in the Rio Grande, along with close to $6 billion for deploying 10,000 Texas National Guard troops and personnel from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“Over the past four years, OLS efforts successfully reduced illegal immigration into Texas by 87 percent, demonstrated the ongoing effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s border measures, and shone a spotlight on a national crisis,” Abbott’s letter reads.

“The burden that our State has borne is a direct result of a refusal by the federal government to do its job. The work that Texas has done through Operation Lone Star has protected and will continue to benefit the entire country.”

In a recent press release, Abbott praised Operation Lone Star and its accomplishments over the years.

“Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 530,600 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 50,000 criminal arrests, with more than 43,000 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 622 million lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined during this border mission,” read the press release.

Senator John Cornyn is supportive of Abbott’s request.