Governor Greg Abbott announced on December 20, 2021, that millions of dollars will be allocated towards law enforcement operations at the border.
The Public Safety Office (PSO) plans to provide an additional $38.4 million to directly support Operation Lone Star (OLS). Since March 2021, the PSO has already granted $74.8 million in OLS funds to cities and counties close to the Texas-Mexico border.
“This additional funding will strengthen our response to the border crisis and ensure our law enforcement and local partners have the resources they need to keep our communities safe in the federal government’s absence,” Abbott declared.
According to a report by CBS DFW, the additional funding included:
- $19.5 million for specialized law enforcement equipment/supplies such as patrol vehicles, interoperable radios, surveillance equipment, bulletproof vests, thermal/night vision technology, as well as search and rescue equipment.
- $16 million for additional overtime, contract, and salaried peace officers, jailers, prosecutors, indigent defense counsel, and administrative court staff.
- $1.9 million for construction of regional emergency communication/radio towers, as well as additional capacity in county jail facilities.
- $800 thousand for travel costs associated with non-border counties providing law enforcement assistance to border disaster-declared counties, as well as specialized training for law enforcement and prosecution personnel.
This new injection of funding is the latest move Abbott has undertaken to address border security.
Abbott previously signed laws allocating $3 billion in total for border security efforts, deployed National Guard, and DPS units to the border, authorized border wall construction, issued an executive order criminalizing the transport of unlawful migrants by non-governmental entities, and pursued legal action to implement the Remain in Mexico and Title 42 policies in Texas.