AUSTIN, Texas — The Trump administration has awarded Texas $7.5 billion to reimburse the state for border security spending during Joe Biden’s presidency, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the grant Thursday, ending a 14-month wait after Congress authorized federal reimbursement for state border security costs.
“I spoke with Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin yesterday, who confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security will be sending Texas $7.5 billion as part of the federal funding to reimburse Texas,” Abbott said.
Abbott said Texas spent billions on border security while federal officials handled immigration enforcement at the southern border.
Texas spent more than $11 billion on Operation Lone Star, which funded border wall construction, river barriers, fencing and deployments of Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety personnel.
Abbott sought full federal reimbursement in January 2025, shortly after Trump took office.
Congress later included $13.5 billion in border reimbursement grants for state and local governments in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed in July 2025.
Texas lawmakers had pushed for the funding during negotiations over the legislation. Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. August Pfluger, R-San Angelo, led efforts to establish the reimbursement program.
The long wait for the federal government to release the money frustrated some Texas lawmakers. Cornyn said in August that securing the reimbursement had felt like “pulling teeth.”
Cornyn, Pfluger and Sen. Ted Cruz also led a November letter from Texas Republicans urging federal officials to reimburse the state for the full $11.1 billion it had spent on Operation Lone Star.
DHS opened applications in June for a $10 billion fund available to state governments. Texas applied for reimbursement and ultimately secured $7.5 billion, or about three-quarters of the fund.
Texas sought reimbursement for several Operation Lone Star activities, including installing wire barriers around Eagle Pass, deploying personnel for more than 530,000 apprehensions and nearly 54,000 criminal arrests, and transporting nearly 120,000 migrants to other states after federal immigration authorities processed and released them.
The state’s application estimated the programs covered in its request cost about $10 billion. Some of the activities began in 2021 and continued into 2026.
The federal government also created a separate $3.5 billion Department of Justice fund for immigration-related law enforcement, including reimbursement for some spending during Biden’s presidency. The department has started awarding money from that program to local governments, including nearly $1 million for Kendall County.
Texas lawmakers can factor the $7.5 billion reimbursement into the state budget when the Legislature convenes in January. The state comptroller also typically issues its revenue estimate in January, allowing officials to account for the federal grant in budget projections.
